The Seven Sides of Levi
by FairyLights101
Summary: Whether Levi is a slave fighting for his life, an everyday man with the love of his dreams, someone who is confused and lost, a thug, or someone who is simply different, he's essentially still the same man at heart. So explore the different forms of Levi, each based on a different prompt, one for each day of Levi Week.
1. A Warrior's Call

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 1: A Warrior's Call**

**Warning: Blood, violence, some death. You know, the usual.**

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The chant of the crowd was audible through the smooth stone walls in front and the thick oak boards above. Their feet pounded into the boards of the stand as they called, crying out for the next and final match of the night. The stench of blood, sweat, and smoke was thick in the stifling air, filling lungs and sucking at every breath.

In the darkness of the holding room, a man finished wrapping his hands, pulling the last bit of cloth around his knuckles to make a somewhat padded area. It would certainly be unfortunate if he broke his hand on some idiot's face, especially with another fight in Dublin that would take place in two days' time.

Flickering lamplight caught his eyes, orange flames dancing within the gray depths. Creaking from behind alerted him to the presence of another. He turned and glanced at the silhouette of a figure standing in the doorway, his features dark compared to the light behind him. The new man shut the door and approached, his features becoming clear as he stepped into the lamplight.

His dark blonde hair, which had been slicked back, cold and calculating blue eyes, and large, well-muscled frame all added together made Irvin Smith an intimidating man by any standards. The black business suit, cleaned and pressed to perfection, and the dark blue tie only added to the serious and subtly threatening aura he had about him. "Levi, are you ready?"

Levi nodded as he picked up the roll of adhesive tape from a nearby stand and tore a strip off. He pressed it onto the edge of the cloth to keep it in place throughout the match. When the edges of the tape were smoothed into place, Levi looked up at Irvin, his eyes cold and unwavering. "When am I not ready?"

Irvin smirked, only a twitch of his lips, but it existed nonetheless. "Good. I'd hate to have to beat you if you emerge both alive and the loser." Irvin turned on his heel, back towards the door from which he had originally entered. He rapped on the wooden door and it swung open after a moment. A man was standing outside of the door, a gun in hand and a helmet on his head. "Fight well," Irvin called over his shoulder.

The light disappeared once more when the door slammed shut, leaving Levi in the dim circle of light that the sputtering oil lamp produced. Overhead the ceiling shook, dust floating down from the cracks between the boards as the spectators above stamped their feet. Levi ran his hands through his hair, dislodging the dust that settled in the damp black locks.

Howls for the fighting to commence was audible through the stone and wood. _Despicable… these Germans have no sense of patience. At least in England they could wait until we entered the ring._ It certainly sounded like a full crowd. Judging from the brief glimpse of the stadium that Levi had managed to get before they had brought him down to the pens, the circular stands could fit at least two hundred, maybe even three, from top to bottom.

_"Intermission will end in two minutes."_ Two minutes left until the match began. Two minutes until yet another fight for his life began. He glanced around the holding room, inspecting his surroundings. Stone walls, wooden ceiling, wooden pillars, wooden floor, a thick and well-guarded door behind, a metal door ahead, and various miscellaneous things scattered about.

Nothing lying around could possibly be an effective weapon. Well, unless he planned to choke his opponent to death with bandages. That was certainly _not_ a recommended way to end a fight. However, it _had_ worked the one time he had resorted to such a measure. That had been an eventful match to say the least.

_"Intermission will end in one minute."_ Levi sighed and approached the metal door, curling his fingers into fists, checking one last time to make sure the bandages did not hinder the movement of his fingers. A bead of sweat trickled down between his shoulder blades as the seconds ticked by, ticking down towards what could mean life or death.

_Hm… going home would be nice once this is all over. How much has France changed since I was last there?_ His fingers rose to the silver chain around his neck, his fingers curling around the slim gold band dangling from it. _It's been too long since I've been a free man._ Perhaps Irvin could be persuaded to alter the tour a bit for a short visit to France, just for a few days.

_"Gentlemen, may I have your attention please!"_ The crowd finally fell into a half-assed silence, their voices falling low enough so that they could hear the announcer. The temporary silence was going to be bliss while it lasted. The arena would doubtlessly be louder, probably deafening compared to the holding pit.

_"Welcome, my good fellows, to the final match of the evening! We have a new contender tonight in the humble arena of the Otto Fight Hall! This fine, young contestant hails from the southern part of France, where his master bought him, Irvin Smith. Men, I present to you the well renowned… Levi!"_

Gears began to shift and screech, the rumble of metal rolling along as the steel door slowly slid sideways. _Well that was quite overdramatic…_ Levi waited until the door finished moving before he stepped out into the arena, his eyes sweeping over his surroundings.

It was circular in shape. Walls of stone stretching up about five meters formed the barrier. The stone was too smooth to climb up, with no visible hand or footholds in sight. Another metal door sat opposite of Levi, waiting to be opened by the mechanisms within. The fighting terrain consisted of sand. It was loose and hastily raked, with indents of bodies and feet still visible.

Levi could still see droplets and patches of blood staining the light brown grains under his feet. Meanwhile, the pit itself was about ten meters across in all directions. Above, the lights struggled to shine through the cloud of cigar smoke and dust that hung heavily in the air. The air was clearer down in the pit, but not much more than the air above.

The crowd surrounding him leaned closer, taking in his appearance. Murmurs of agitation began to spread through the crowd. Obviously, they had been expecting someone who looked tougher, who looked vicious, and who looked like a fighter. They certainly weren't expecting someone like him. Short in stature no matter what he ate or did, skin that insisted upon staying pale despite the thousands of hours in the sun, and the slimmer-than-usual frame despite everything. People were doubtlessly regretting on betting on him, probably thinking that he would be crushed like a twig within seconds of the fight beginning.

_"And now gentlemen, I present to you the other contender! As the champion of these halls, he is more than ready to protect his title, and his life, against his opponent! Born and raised in the slums of Germany before being bought by Mr. Alfred Reiss, I give you... Reiner Braun!"_

The door at the other end began to open. Explosive cheers filled the air before Braun had even emerged from the holding pit. Braun had certainly delivered his share of blood that the slavers paid to see. The metal door finally slid completely into place and only then did Braun emerge, stepping from the shadows and into the muted light of the arena.

He was tall, around a meter tall, with a thick frame built from solid muscle. A thatch of blonde hair covered the top of his head while blue eyes stared out from beneath thick, blonde eyebrows. The ice blue orbs sought Levi out and Braun's lip curled back in a sneer of contempt, malice, and irritation glittering in his eyes. Like Levi, he was only wearing a pair of shorts to cover his otherwise bare body.

_"Gentlemen, the betting booths will be closing in five minutes."_ Apparently, this place liked to give the slavers and men in attendance a chance to adjust their bets according to the physicality of each contestant. A small portion of the crowd stood and made their way up to the top of the stands, disappearing over the flat lip. Levi glanced back over at Braun, analyzing Braun's every move.

The blonde man was apparently trying to hold a staring contest with him, his blue eyes wide and unblinking as he jabbed at the air in front of him._ His hands are too high. He leaves his side open, the left more so than the right._ Levi let his gaze roam once more, flickering without interest over those in attendance. It was a mixture of people, both finely dressed and not, a mixture of slavers and common people.

Several slaves stood by their masters, identified by their collars or their shackles. Their stations were easily distinguishable by clothing and dress. Favorites were gifted with slightly cleaner and less-worn clothing. Pretty articles of clothing and nice collars were given to the sex slaves. Manacles on both the hands and the feet identified slaves as fighters most of the time, while manacles on just the feet simply symbolized a common slave. It tended to stay the same from region to region so that way slaves on sale were easier to identify.

Jeers, scornful remarks, catcalls, shouts, and more were audible. Levi ignored their voices, letting it fade into the background. Their voices were not the ones he needed to hear. _"Alright gentlemen, I hope that you're ready for the fight! The betting tables have now closed. Make your way to the arena. The match will begin in one minute."_ One minute until yet another fight to the death, or near enough.

Levi shifted from one foot to the other. He flexed his fingers, his fingers curling into fists, uncurling, and repeating. Across the arena, Reiner was still glowering at him, jabbing at the air like there was an invisible opponent in front of him. _Moron. He should be conserving his strength._

_"Gentlemen, take your seats! The fight will begin in thirty seconds."_ Those who were not already seated either slid back into their reserved seats or crowded around at the edges of the arena, eager to watch.

_"Ten seconds now. Nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... fight!"_

Both fighters took slow steps forwards, sliding into their fighting stances, keeping their left shoulders towards each other as they began to circle. Silver eyes stared into blue eyes, both of them watching, analyzing, assessing. Their feet slowly began to churn the hastily raked sand as they moved, circling, looking for a weak point. Reiner's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. He cocked his left fist back and sent it flying towards Levi at eyelevel.

Levi ducked down beneath the fist and dove to the side as Reiner's right hand came towards him, going to where he head would have been. He hit the ground and rolled into a crouch, the fingers of one hand digging into the sand, ready to spring back up to his feet. Reiner whipped around to face Levi and slowly approached his blue eyes glittering with malice. Levi rose to his feet and began to shift.

Their feet were in constant motion, staying still for only a second or two each before shifting again as Reiner pursued Levi across the arena. Within seconds of the first attack, Reiner launched straight into the second one. He charged at Levi, heavy feet kicking up sand. Levi waited until Reiner was almost on top of his before he leapt to the side. Reiner's arms passed within inches of his chest and the blonde continued forwards. His palms slammed into the stone wall, the slap masked by the muted roar of the people in the stands.

Levi skipped backwards, moving towards the center of the arena. He reached the center and planted his feet, resting just on the balls of his feet, ready to move when the need arose. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. It had been warm in the arena before. Now it was hot and it would only continue to get hotter as the match went on. It was like the cloud of cigar smoke that hovered overhead; something that would be problematic if the fight dragged on. Barely a minute had passed since the fight had started, but that gave no indicator for when it would end.

Reiner shook his head and whipped around. His brow was furrowed; his blue eyes were sharp with hatred. The blonde-haired man stalked forwards. He appeared to be taking his time in his approach once more instead of outright charging Levi again. Levi turned, his shoulder facing Reiner as the bulky man approached, his shoulder squared, and his fists clenched. Reiner slid into a fighting stance when he was a few feet away, the cords of muscles in his arms standing out more so than before.

He beckoned Levi with his hand, a taunting, feral grin on his face. "Komm zu mir du Schwein!" The words came out of Reiner's mouth as a furious snarl. He spoke in German, a language Levi did not understand. Translation was not required to get the general idea of what was being said.

Levi continued to circle, keeping his hands in front of his face. He refused to rise to a taunt like that. A dull roar filled his ears, blood pulsing through his body, as he watched. Silver eyes examined Reiner, judging how tense each limb was, seeing the slightest movements of each limb. Reiner dropped his right hand for an uppercut. Levi slipped to the side and brought his arm up to deflect the clenched fist hurtling towards his face. Their arms remained locked against each other, Reiner straining to push down Levi's arm.

The blonde man jabbed again with his right hand, aiming for Levi's sternum. Levi caught the fist with his other hand. His fingers clenched around Reiner's fist, nails digging into the flesh. That elicited a grunt from Reiner but no more. Levi disengaged and leapt away. The ground beneath them was too loose to backflip backwards as he usually did. Reiner darted in, his fist a blur, as he shot forwards.

The fist caught Levi in the jaw and Levi's head jerked to the side. The raven-haired man spun with the momentum of the blow, dropped into a low crouch, and kicked upwards, his foot catching Reiner in the lower half of his abdomen, just above the groin. A pained groan slipped past Reiner's lips. The larger man stopped his attacks in favor of unconsciously hunching over, his arms wrapping around his abdomen.

Levi darted off and stood in the sand a few paces away. He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, waiting for Reiner to straighten up. The blonde man recovered far sooner than Levi had expected, but he was ready nevertheless. Reiner stalked back over, his hands slightly lower than before, his eyes glittering with menace. They began to circle again.

To the fighters, it seemed like the circling went on for eons upon eons, all of which was spent with them slowly shuffling to the side, arms raised and eyes locked. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds for the audience before Reiner launched another attack.

A jab from his right hand came first. Levi brought his arm down and blocked it, batting the fist away. Reiner stepped in, cocked his arm back, and brought his elbow straight towards Levi's face. The raven-haired man jerked to the side and Reiner's elbow shot past his head. Levi grabbed the other man's arm and brought his knee up to his chest. The kick was sharp and quick, straight into Reiner's abdomen, just below the breastbone.

The blonde man staggered backwards, air rushing from his lungs. Levi darted around Reiner, coming up just behind him, to the left. The smaller man slammed his elbow into Reiner's side, to the left of his spine and just below most of his ribs. A snap reached his ears, only slightly louder than the sound of the crowd. It all sounded like it was muffled, underwater. Levi kicked the back of Reiner's leg, forcing it forwards and knocking the larger man off balance. Reiner hit the sandy floor with a thump, sand flying into the air. The blonde man shoved himself up off the ground before Levi could take any more action.

Levi danced away, staying light on his feet, his eyes trained on Reiner. One of the blonde man's hands gingerly pressed his ribs, testing it while he watched Levi, slowly moving in a circle around him. A grimace appeared on Reiner's face when he reached the first floating rib. Levi raised an eyebrow and curled his fingers: _come and get me, bitch._

The blonde man's face contorted into a mask of fury, the polar opposite of Levi's stoic face. Reiner charged at him, the move fueled by emotion rather than strategy. His arms were outstretched, his fingers curled into vicious claws. Levi let the man rush him, letting him get within a meter before he ducked out of the way, leaping out of the way, and landing a short distance away. Reiner whipped around and lurched at Levi, his fists flying. Levi ducked, dodged, and leapt aside.

More than one blow came close. One even grazed his ear on the way by. He did not return the flurry of blows, instead shifting, moving, and leaping out of the way. The raven-haired man felt his hands touch the stone wall behind him. A triumphant grin flashed across Reiner's face, his blue eyes glaring at Levi with the light of grim victory behind them.

"Hey Reiner!"

The voice pierced through the veil blocking the sound from Levi's ears. He could hear the screams of the crowd. He could hear them baying for blood. He could their feet stomping on the wooden blanks beneath them. He could hear a chant swelling in their throats. _"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"_

Both men looked up at the voice. Something flew through the air, end over end, light glimmering off the silver edge. The object landed next to Reiner, half buried in the sand, the hilt turned upwards. Reiner bared his teeth in a grin and stooped down. His ice-blue eyes remained locked on Levi as he grabbed the hilt and pulled it from the sand.

It was a butterfly sword, about the length of Levi's forearm, with a hilt wrapped in tattered black cloth and a tarnished steel guard. The sound of the crowd escalated until it was nearly deafening. They wanted blood and they wanted it desperately. It was amazing their screams, their beating, hadn't shaken the place to bits. Reiner took a step closer to Levi and raised the butterfly sword, holding it up for the crowd to see. Levi pressed himself further up against the stone wall, his eyes following every movement of Reiner's right hand, watching for when the blade would descend.

Cries fell on his ears, cries of "Coward" and "Spineless bitch" and "Useless savage." He pressed his palms flat against the curving stone wall, calloused fingertips tensing against the surface. Reiner grinned again and raised the sword up even higher, well above his head. "Doh you ant blood?" His German accent thickly marred the English that came from his throat. "_Möchten Sie Blut_?" He repeated the question, this time in German.

He looked his eyes off Levi for one second, just one, to look at the crowd. That was when the black-haired man struck. Levi pushed himself off the wall and slammed into Reiner, their combined weight throwing the blonde to the ground. The butterfly sword flew from his grasp, landing a meter or so away in the sand. He paid the sword no mind, instead pouncing straight onto Reiner, while the man still lay on his back, stunned.

Levi brought his left leg up and stomped down on Reiner's chest. His heel dug into the soft flesh beneath the blonde man's breath bone. Reiner let out a groan as all the air flooded out of his lungs. Levi brought his foot up and slammed it down again. This time, he caught Reiner at the base of the throat. Another blow followed that, a heel to the face.

A strike to the lower abdomen, one to the groin, and several to his right shoulder followed in rapid succession. Levi brought his foot down for the fourth time on Reiner's shoulder. His foot connected and a snap broke through the air as the blonde man's collarbone broke. The blonde man swallowed back a scream and struggled to rise, to get up off the ground. It was hard going with only one arm and very little air in his lungs.

Levi let him rise halfway before he spun on his right foot and his left crashed into Reiner's nose. There was a crunch and a slight delay before the blood began to stream from Reiner's nose. The blonde man fell back, his head smashing into the ground. Levi left Reiner lying on the ground and stalked over to the butterfly sword. He picked it up and inspected it.

The blade was in poor condition: whoever owned it must have neglected it. That or they owned it simply for the purpose of fights like this. He snatched it up and tossed it over to his left hand before he whirled around, back to where Reiner was still lying, his hands pressed to his nose, his chest heaving to draw in air. As Levi approached, Reiner flung one of his hands out and began to scrabble at the sand, blindly searching for Levi's ankle.

The ebony-haired man rammed the blade of the sword into Reiner's right hand, straight through the center of his palm. An agonized screech tore past Reiner's lips. Levi couldn't hear the audience anymore, only a few muted voices that carried out over the crowd and pit. Most had not been expecting this outcome. Many had predictably picked the larger, stronger looking man. They were about to pay the price.

Levi twisted the blade in Reiner's hand. The blonde man's body jerked, his left fist pounding into the ground and throwing up clouds of sand. The crowd suddenly came too and took up a cry, the same chant they had been screaming when Levi seemed to be the one facing imminent death. _"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"_

Levi kept his gaze on Reiner as he raised his raise hand in the air, his hand clenched in a fist. "'oo want 'im dead?" he called out. His English, marred by his thick French accent and lack of practice, rang throughout the hall. Levi's silver eyes focused on Reiner's icy eyes. They, for the first time, were filled with something other than hatred. His blue eyes were filled with fear.

"I'll ahsk again. 'oo want 'im dead?" A roar went up from the crowd, their excitement almost palpable. Levi wrenched the sword out of Reiner's hand, eliciting a low moan from the blonde man. Levi raised the sword into the air, the blood-coated tip pointed skyward. The raven-haired man slowly brought it down, inching it towards Reiner's throat. He let the blade dangle a few inches above the blonde man's throat, just above his Adam's apple.

Levi held it there for a few moments and then tossed the blade aside. He stalked a meter or two away and raised his eyes to the crowd, silver orbs glimmering with hatred. "'oo want 'im dead, 'oo kill 'im 'orself."

Silence draped itself over the stunned crowd. Obviously, they didn't see slaves turn down the chance to kill very often, if at all. Levi glanced around, his eyes flickering over them. Their faces were covered with an array of emotions: shocked, dubious, enraged, suspicious, and more. There was only one face in the crowd with a smile on it: Irvin. The blonde man in the stands inclined his head to Levi ever so slightly, a gesture of agreement. Levi gave a slight head bob back.

The whispering of sand, heavy panting, and the sound of stumbling steps reached his ears. Levi whipped around and absorbed it all within a second. Reiner, charging straight at with great, stumbling strides, his left arm raised, the blade grasped in his hand. Levi's had shot up, catching Reiner's arm around the wrist and stopping its descent. He stepped in close and jabbed at Reiner's chest, right at the broken collarbone.

The sword fell from the blonde man's grasp and he lurched forwards, eyes wild with pain, as he tried to head-butt Levi. The raven-haired man flipped backwards, his fingertips skimming the sand and snatching the sword up before his feet touched the ground once more. Levi swapped hands, exchanging the right-hand grip for the left, and darted in for the attack.

He came within feet of Reiner and slashed upwards, at his chest. The blonde man brought his arm up to protect at the last second. The blade bit into his arm and a cascade of scarlet burst forth, blood flying through the air. Reiner jerked backwards, clutching his arm, but Levi was already moving in for the next strike.

The blade sliced through the air as Levi stalked after Reiner. Soon, the blonde man's arms were shaking, streaked, dripping with blood, and crisscrossed with cuts. The sand beneath their feet was starting to turn red with droplets of blood. A few droplets had splashed onto Levi's face, mixing with the beads of sweat, but he ignored them, focused on the attack. He brought the blade down again and Reiner raised his arm to block the down stroke.

Levi changed the direction of his attack, pulling the sword to the left, down, and back to the right. The sharp side of the blade caught Reiner on the side, between two of his lower ribs. Levi pulled the blade free and Reiner stumbled backwards, his arms falling from their raised, protective positions. The blonde man's back was almost to the stone wall. He had no hope of escape.

Levi transferred the butterfly sword to his right hand. His fingers curled around the hilt. Steel-gray eyes locked on ice blue. The crowd was no longer audible to Levi; even the loudest of the screams had fallen away. It was as if he was alone in the ring. Levi darted forwards and pressed the tip of the blade against Reiner's chest. It slipped into his chest with a little resistance, the blade scraping against his ribs, below his heart. Reiner's body jerked and his mouth dropped open. A scarlet tide replaced the scream of agony that doubtlessly wanted to escape.

"I would haff given 'oo mercy," he murmured as he twisted the blade in Reiner's chest a little bit before pulling it out and tossing it away. He watched as Reiner sank to his knees, his dimming blue eyes still focused on Levi's hard gray eyes. "'oo would haff given me death."

Reiner drew in a short, gasping breath, blood bubbling at his lips. He slumped over to the right, his body slamming into the sand with a heavy thud. Levi looked up at the spectators, his chin held high, his eyes cold, and his body tense. Their crows of delight slammed into him, finally registering in his brain.

His jaw ached, his limbs burned, and each fiber of his being was heavy with exhaustion. The metal door, the one he had initially come through, opened and Levi walked back towards it, letting the dark recesses beyond swallow him as he settled in to wait for Irvin's return.

**Day 1: End**

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So this is an entry of the Leviweek thing on tumblr  
Sorry if the fight seems a little long; I really got into describing this, but it probably would have taken five minutes or less in real life. For this, a song was fitting Levi was supposed to be selected, so I chose "A Warrior's Call" by Volbeat. Yeah, I know it's literally a song for a MMA fighter, but this song just reminded me of Levi. Pardon the accents; I have no contact with German/French people.

The German (probably not accurate, I have to use a translator) used is:  
Komm zu mir, du Schwein! - Come at me you pig!  
Möchten Sie Blut? - Do you want blood?

Anyways, the next installment will be up sometime tomorrow. Certainly later if I can't decide between two things/haven't finished either of them. Thank you for reading.


	2. Kiss The Rain

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 2: Kiss The Rain**

**This contains sexual content. (Sorry if it's not the best: first full attempt at something like this)**

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Levi squeezed his way through the bustle of pedestrians and moved along the edge of the crowd, hugging the buildings to his right as he walked on. The bag on his bag bumped against his spine, the weight in it familiar and comforting. It carried a little something extra today. The new object in the bag wasn't as important in a physical sense as it was in a mental and emotional sense.

Levi's lips twitched upwards in a small smile as he thought of it and continued to weave his way through the crowd. He rounded the corner, walked on for a few more feet, and turned again, this time ascending the steps to his apartment. The silver-eyed man dug into his pocket for a moment, extracting a key. He glanced down at the doormat as he inserted the key and turned it.

Eren had already put out the one he had picked out weeks prior; a dark brown mat with orange and yellow leaves dyed into it. The tumblers in the lock rolled and he opened the door. He glanced up as he slid his key into his pocket and nearly dropped his bag in confusion. His apartment did not look like how he had left it six hours earlier, when he had left for work. Admittedly, it was still clean, but things had changed.

All of the lights were out. There was no light aside from the candles and their small flickers of orange-yellow light. They had been sporadically placed around the apartment in little white bowls. The faint scent of jasmine touched his nose. It didn't seem like anyone had robbed them. Typically, leaving candles around an apartment was _not_ on the top of a robber's agenda.

He stepped further in, silver eyes darting over his surroundings and taking them in. White and pale yellow rose petals had been scattered about, haphazardly thrown and dotting surfaces. _Did Eren do all of this?_ The thought curled Levi's lips upwards in a slight smile as he glanced around. Music played quietly in the background, a mixture of a piano, several violins, a cello, and a guitar.

Levi couldn't place the name of the song: he couldn't pick out enough notes to determine what exactly it was. Either way, it was soothing and something to fill the otherwise silent space of the apartment. Normally, Eren would have been making enough noise to wake the entire apartment complex, but he was quiet for once. It was almost unnerving. The emerald-eyed man was only quiet when he was planning something. However, this plan certainly lacked his usual subtle touch. He wasn't trying to be careful this time.

The song changed, this time to something with a violin and a cello. It was very familiar, but faint enough that he couldn't quite place it. Levi shut the door, set his bag down, pulled his shoes off, and walked around, his eyes flickering from side to side as he continued to take in what he saw. The candles in the bowls were white; white and yellow petals on the floor; a white vase with pink roses sat by the stereo system.

The music was louder beside that, loud enough that Levi could pick out the name of the song: "Kiss the Rain." Levi knew the song well. Eren played it often enough that the melody, the notes, were ingrained into his memory, and each rendition of the song was somehow more beautiful than the last.

Levi leaned over and looked into one of the candleholders. The wax was hot and melting inside, with the scent of jasmine rising up and tickling his nose. He heard the steps, quiet and stealthy, before he felt the arms wrap around his torso. A chest pressed against his back, warm and familiar, as was the citrusy scent that followed Eren around. Breath ghosted across his ear and Levi shivered slightly. "Welcome home…" The voice was breathy and quiet. Fingers slowly inched down his front, slipping under his shirt and skimming the porcelain skin beneath, edging down towards the waistband of his jeans.

Levi put his hand over top one of the tanned ones and laced his pale fingers with Eren's. "Impatient much," he chided gently as he squeezed lightly.

"Sorry," Eren murmured into his ear, "I'm just happy to see you." His actions contradicted his apology as the fingers of his free hand continued to slip downwards, touching the top of Levi's jeans. The emerald-eyed man twisted his head to the side and kissed Levi on the temple. Soft breaths that smelled of citrus disturbed Levi's hair, sending it fluttering in front of his eyes. Eren's lips lingered there for a moment before he moved back and brushed across Levi's ear.

The black-haired man shivered and bit his lip. Eren smirked against his ear and gently bit down on the top of the smaller man's lobe. Levi shuddered again, warmth already pooling in his stomach. Something damp - Eren's tongue - ran across his ear before Eren bit down again. Teeth cut into his lower lip as a moan began to build in his throat, aching for release. Levi almost didn't notice the hand fumbling with his belt buckle until Eren pulled away for a moment. The silver-eyed man pushed the hand away, let go of Eren's other hand, and twisted around in the brunette's grasp.

Pressed against each other, chest to chest, they locked gazes, and a slow, suggestive smile flickered across Eren's face. Stretching up on his tiptoes, Levi leaned up against Eren's chest, his arms wrapping around the brunette's neck. Eager lips pressed against each other. Fingers tangled upwards into short, silky, chestnut strands. A hand slipped down to his ass and squeezed it between long, slim fingers. Levi nibbled on Eren's bottom lip and slid his tongue in, the faint taste of oranges greeting him.

Eren's fingers slipped under his shirt and slid along his back, pressing into skin and pushing their close bodies even closer than before. Levi pulled away after a few moments. Both of them were breathing heavily, their faces dusted with pink, and their bodies hot. Pale fingers wrapped around a tan wrist and dragged the brunette along to the pale man's destination; the bedroom.

Levi didn't bother shutting the door, leaving it open as he pulled Eren close again, stretching up to reach Eren's mouth. The brunette leaned down and met the raven-haired man halfway. Eren's hands seemed to be everywhere at once, leaving trails of fire that sank straight into Levi's bones in their wake. The emerald-eyed boy rolled his hips against Levi's, the sweet friction pulling a quiet gasp from the normally stoic man.

He pulled back, one hand still holding Eren's, the other settled in the middle of the brunette's back. Levi turned Eren and gently pushed him down on the bed. He gave Eren a few moments before he crept up next to him, his movements tantalizingly slow. Within moments his legs were straddling the brunette's waist, his palms splayed out on the other man's stomach. Heat coursed through his body, feeding his desire. His jeans had long since become too tight for comfort from his swelling erection.

He could feel Eren's hardening cock beneath him, a hard bulge that rubbed against his own whenever Levi let his hips drop too low. Muted gasps of pleasure tore past Eren's lips every time Levi teasingly rubbed himself against the bulge. Levi leaned forwards and captured Eren's mouth again. One of his hands slid under Eren's shirt and up his chest, finding its way to his nipple. He rolled the bud between his fingers, smirking slightly when he felt it harden beneath his touch. A quite moan escaped the brunette's mouth as Levi's fingers continued to ghost over Eren's chest.

Levi pulled away from Eren's mouth a moved down to his neck once more. His lips clamped down on a patch of skin as he sucked and nipped at it. Hands pressed against Levi's stomach and slid down. He felt a tug on his belt loops and his hips came down, their stiff cocks rubbing up against each other through layers of clothing.

The raven-haired man broke away from Eren's neck, rising up, his back arching in pleasure. He ground his hips back against Eren's, drawing a moan from the brunette while he held back one of his own. Levi continued to grind, jolts of pleasure shooting through his body with each roll of their bodies. Eren moaned and mewled in satisfaction beneath him. The brunette met him with each roll, moving in the opposite direction and pulling wanton moans from Levi's lips.

He stopped after a few moments and tugged his shirt off, tossing it off to the side of the room. Eren's shirt followed in suit shortly after. Levi hovered over Eren, his hands fumbling with the brunette's jeans, while Eren did the same to his. Eren tugged Levi's jeans and boxers down and Levi halted for a moment to pull them off all the way, before he returned to attacking Eren's jeans.

It took a few moments more of fumbling to get rid of the remainder of Eren's clothing before tossing them in the general direction of the rest. A trail of precum was already leaking from the tip of Eren's cock, glistening in the faint light. "Eren, can you…?" Eren nodded, breathless and impatient, and moved back a bit until he could reach the nightstand. He pulled one of the drawers open and rummaged around for a few moments before he pulled out a bottle and tossed it to Levi.

The raven-haired man smiled and uncapped the lubricant, spreading a generous amount on his fingers. He set it to the side and pressed a slick finger against Eren's entrance. Teasing, he traced his finger around the edge, his finger moving in slow, tantalizing circles. A desperate, needy groan flowed from Eren's lips, "Dammit Levi, just do it already."

Levi slowly inserted his finger into Eren's hot, wet, entrance, leaving it still for a moment before he began to pull it in and out. The movements were purposefully slow, slower than they needed to be. Levi added the second finger after pushing in a few times. He began to stretch Eren out, just as slow as he had been with a single finger. Eren groaned with a mixture of impatience and pleasure, squirming beneath Levi's touches. A small smile flickered onto Levi's face and he added the third finger, stretching Eren out even further.

Once he felt like Eren had been stretched sufficiently, Levi pulled his fingers out and plucked the bottle of lubricant from the bedspread. He let a fair amount gather in his palm before he capped the bottle and tossed it to the side, coating his cock with the lubricant. Levi gripped Eren's hip with one hand as he slowly pushed into him. He moved slowly, giving Eren a few seconds to adjust before he continued to push a little deeper.

The brunette released a shuddering breath once Levi was all the way in. Eren hooked his legs around Levi's waist, raising his hips off the bed a bit. Levi started to move, his hips rolling forwards and back slowly at first. He slid in and out slowly, his pace slowly increasing with each thrust. The slow rolling motion quickly changed when Levi slammed into Eren, his pace picking up.

Every thrust brought a gasp or moan bursting from Eren's lips between the gasps for air. Eren tightened around him, the feeling, and the sounds nearly driving Levi over the edge. Levi could feel himself nearing the edge, spots dancing around the edge of his vision and pleasure wracking his body. He wrapped his hand around Eren's cock, and the emerald-eyed man gasped in a mixture of pleasure and surprise, his back arching up even higher than before.

The brunette writhed as Levi's thrusts somehow managed to come faster than before. He continued to stroke Eren's cock, moving in time to the thrusts. Eren gripped the sheets between his fingers, his knuckles turning white and his teeth digging into his lip as he tried to hold back his desperate moans. A shudder ran along Eren's body and a stream of cum shot out across his chest, accompanied by a panted cry of intense pleasure.

His walls clenched around Levi, and the raven-haired man thrust one more time before the orgasm tore through him. Levi threw his head back, arching backwards with the ecstasy of release. They stayed like that for a few moments before Levi let go of Eren's cock and pulled out of the taller man.

He shifted further up on the bed till he could press his hot, sticky, and naked form against Eren's, dragging a sheet up with him so they could be covered. Showers could be taken later; sheets could be changed before bed. All Levi wanted to do right then was lie next to Eren and sleep, even though it was only midafternoon. The emerald-eyed boy threw his arm over Levi's side, pulling him close. Their legs tangled together, catching the sheets between them. Silver and emerald eyes slid shut, simply content to lie there for a little while longer. "I love you Levi…"

Levi ran his fingers along Eren's chest, a small smile on his face. "I love you too." Before he fell to sleep, his thoughts travelled back to one thing: the box sitting in his bag, and the two rings nestled within. That could wait for another time, a time when they weren't head-deep in bliss.

**Day 2: End**

* * *

So here's what I wrote for day 2, which was the shipping one. Sorry if it's not the best. I've never actually written a full on smut... Oh gods, so embarrassed /  
This is... far off from my original idea. I just kind of spontaneously decided to write this...  
The song mentioned in this is "Kiss The Rain," originally composed by Yiruma, but listen to the version by The Harmony Guys: it's beautiful. Many thanks to calleyrose, who looked over this for me. So yeah... thanks for reading and have a night day/night/existence. Probably should also mention that I don't own SnK/AoT or these songs.

**calleyrose:** Haha I'm glad you enjoyed it~ Oh gods... I would have strangled you if you had told them...


	3. I'm (Not) Okay (I Promise)

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 3: I'm (Not) Okay (I Promise)**

**This chapter is all about a mental disorder, Disassociate Identity Disorder, the symptoms of which include depersonalization, panic attacks, multiple 'personalities,' and more. If sensitive to such topics, I advise you do not read.**

* * *

The walls were white. He didn't like white walls. He wanted to paint them. No, he didn't want to paint them, _he_ wanted to paint them. The Creator was someone else, another person, one who shared his hands, his eyes, his body, even his mind. The Creator wasn't the only one. There were more: the Creator, the Talker, the Nervous, the Obsessive, and the Hostile.

Those weren't their real names, just nicknames to differentiate them. Their names was his name, his name was their name. But they were not him. They were not Levi, not the real Levi. _He_ was the Real Levi, not the other ones.

Some people, real, physical people, said that he was crazy, that he was pretending to hear those personas. Some even told him that he was schizophrenic. But he wasn't. He knew they were separate entities. He didn't have any delusional beliefs.

Levi picked up his pill bottle and pressed the cap down. His hands were shaking. He opened the bottle and shook out one of the tablets: depression medication, twenty milligrams each. He swallowed it dry. His hands were still shaking.

_"Calm down…"_ The whisper came from the corner of his mind, from the Talker. _"Just think: therapy today is going to be decent, enjoyable even. Oluo invited you out for drinks, right. Well, non-alcoholic drinks in our case, but still! You should take him up on that. Or I can take him up on that offer. Come on, three hours. Please? It's boring, being cooped up in this freaking apartment all day."_

Levi ground his fingers into his forehead, already feeling a headache creeping up on him. "No," he muttered, shaking his head, "No."

**"You could come home and paint. Or play the piano! The piano sounds like fun right now!"** It was the Creator speaking up now, his voice weaving with the Talker's voice. They were the most vocal in his mind, constantly present.

He felt something clutching his hand, slim fingers curling around his wrist. The fingers, the hand, weren't real. They never were. He knew that, but it didn't stop the shudders from travelling up his spine. "I don't want to…" Levi whispered, "So shut up." The voices fell silent in his mind. The fingers fell away from his hand. He capped the bottle and set it back on the counter.

Therapy didn't sound appealing today. He was exhausted. Had he even slept last night? Last night was a blank spot in his mind. He couldn't even remember closing his eyes, couldn't remember drifting off. What sounded appealing was going back into his room, turning off all the lights, and lying in bed, hopefully with a clear mind, one vacant of his alters, even if it was only temporary.

Levi pulled his black coat from the coatrack and pulled it on. A green scarf went around his neck next. His fingers were stiff and uncooperative as he slowly pulled the two ends into a knot. Sudden rage tore through him and clouded his mind when he failed to get it once, twice. Levi tore the scarf from his neck and threw it aside, down onto the floor.

"No! Pick it up! It can't go there!" The Obsessive's voice was a scream in his mind, resounding in every corner of Levi's mind with his frantic screeching. It sent chills down his spine, like nails on a chalkboard would. It was almost like how having an eardrum ruptured hurt.

Levi snatched the scarf from the ground and hung it up. The Obsessive fell silent, pleased with Levi's cooperation. That alternate was the reason his apartment was so immaculate, the reason nothing was out of place. Have his home dirty, unorganized, brought back memories of when he was young. Memories brought the Obsessive to the front stage, pushing his real self into the back of his mind.

Levi left the apartment and slammed the door on his way out, anger still clouding his mind. He strode through the streets, moving quickly. With his arms pulled in close to his body, his neck practically a part of his shoulders, and his head bowed towards the ground, he made a smaller target. It made it likely to be brushed, to be touched.

_"Hey, look! There's a guy playing a saxophone! I want to listen"_ Levi ignored the Talker and kept moving. _"Come on Levi! Stop, dammit!"_

He passed the man sitting on the cold concrete playing the saxophone. He just kept walking, silver eyes focused on the concrete, a headache building inside his head. It gave him something to focus on. Ignoring the voice wasn't easy but he managed. The Talker fell silent after he turned the block, leaving his mind blissfully vacant for a while.

Silver eyes rarely strayed from the ground and what lay just ahead of him. The walk was quick. Within minutes, he stood outside of a building made of light gray bricks, darker gray bricks dotting the walls. Levi hesitated but ascended the steps up to the building and opened the heavy oak door. Warm air and the scent of oranges rushed out to greet him, enveloping him when he stepped inside the building.

Tan walls, white tile floors, white ceiling. Chairs pushed up against the tan walls. Chairs that were neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, they simply were. None were currently occupied. There was a semi-circular desk against the wall, directly in front of the door, with a ginger-haired woman sitting behind it. Another door was to the right of the desk, the one that led to the therapy rooms. "Hello," she said with a too-cheery voice. "Dr. Hanji is ready to see you whenever you're ready to go back."

**_"I don't want to go… she scares me."_** The Nervous' voice was quiet and wavering. **_"Let's just stay in here. Better yet, let's go back home, where it's safe. Where no one can hurt us, touch us. Let's go back to that sanctuary."_**

_Shut up._ The thought belonged to him. He didn't want to scare Petra by talking to the other identities. "Thank you," he murmured before he opened the door. He turned right walked down the short hall that lay beyond the first door. The last door on the left was his destination. Levi opened the door and stepped in.

The walls were light blue and the carpet was light green: apparently, they were calming colors. There were two white-cushioned chairs, a low table set in between them, and a window. Levi walked in and sat down in one of the chairs, the one facing the door. It was also closest to the window. It was the best escape route if anything happened. Both 'exits' had been used at least twice. Luckily, the window was only ten or fifteen feet up from the ground below, so Levi could jump out without seriously hurting himself.

He curled his fingers against the edge of the wooden armrests. He hated therapy with a passion. But it helped, even if it was just a little. The identities were just a little quieter, a little calmer, after the visits. Coming to therapy had helped ease the stress the identities brought with them. It helped them become less singular. Since the first appointment, nearly two years ago, the lines between them had started to blur. It was faint, but it was still happening.

Levi wasn't quite sure if that scared him or not.

The door opened, revealing a smiling young woman with chestnut hair and deep brown eyes. She had a white doctor's coat, even though she didn't really need one here. "Hello Levi. It's nice to see that you're here early." She could always tell the difference between his identities. There had been numerous occasions when he couldn't remember his therapy sessions, when another identity had either walked in using his body or shoved him into the back of his own mind during the middle of one. Hanji had quickly come to recognize the difference between the real Levi and the other identities.

The clipboard she carried today was a see-through green one. Some papers were already beneath the clip. A pen was behind her ear. A manila folder set on top of the clipboard, his name printed on the tab. "Hello Hanji."

Hanji smiled and sat across from him. She set the manila folder on the table between them and pulled her pen from behind her ear. "So how have you been?"

Levi shrugged and tugged on a bit of string that was starting to unravel from the chair. "Good, I suppose. Not really sure how else I can be with other identities sharing my fucking head." Hanji smiled and scribbled a few things down. "Well, have you had any headaches or migraines in the past week?"

"Four migraines and ten normal headaches."

"Hm… that's up from last week. What about lapses in memory or depersonalization?"

"After I got back home last week the Creator started controlling my body. That was one of two. The other happened two days ago, when I had a panic attack. As for memory lapses, there were twelve occurrences. Most recently, there was one last night."

Hanji nodded. Her pen never stopped flying across the clipboard as she recorded his words. "That's better concerning the depersonalization issue. Unfortunately, the memory lapse portion hasn't improved..."

Levi knew that. He had it all written down. He knew when a week was a good week or a bad week when he looked at the totals of just how many of each had occurred. How many incidents of depersonalization, of memory lapse, how many panic attacks, how many mood swings, how many headaches and migraines? He wrote it all down. He knew it had been a bad week.

"Have you had any panic attacks have you had since last week? If so, tell me everything you remember, symptoms too of course."

Levi's hands clenched, nails biting into his palms. "Yes. There were two. The first was on Saturday... There were too many people. I felt trapped. I don't remember what happened after that. Based on what people said, I think the Talker came out. Symptoms... those consisted of accelerated heart rate, shaking, feeling like I was going to choke, and dizziness."

Hanji nodded, her pen flying across the clipboard as she wrote down what he said. He watched as she pulled the pen away for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face, as she bit the end of her pen. The lull in her writing ended within moments when whatever she was thinking of finally clicked. Levi waited a few moments for her to finish before he started on the next on.

"The other was two days ago. I was getting some drinks with a friend: Irvin. Some man, drunk probably, tried to feel me up. I panicked. I think I punched him when I ran out. I made it to the alleyway before I threw up. Symptoms were the same as the first, with depersonalization, nausea, chills, memory loss, and numbness thrown in. Irvin had to drive me home. One of the identities completely took over halfway through the ride. I don't remember anything after that."

The scratch of Hanji's pen was the only sound in the room for several minutes, just the scratch-scratch of a pen on paper and the wind whispering around the building. The exact contents of most of the papers were unknown, but he had gotten a glimpse of a few. One was of the alternate personalities. Of what caused them. He knew that part of it by heart. There was one paper talking about his progress. "Slow but steady" were the words that Hanji had used on that paper.

_"That's good though! Getting rid of us would just make life dull!"_

Levi shook his head. _Shut up. Get out of my head. I want to have it to myself for a while._

**"But we want a place too!"** the Creator complained. **"We're people too!"**

_No, you're parts of my mind. _My_ mind, not yours!_

**"Are you so sure about that you little creep? After all, you're the reason we exist."**The new voice was bitter, angry, and like acid on his mind: the Hostile. That identity hadn't spoken in days.

"Are you talking with them right now?" Levi nodded. He bit his lip, hard. "Which one are you speaking to?"

**"Don't tell the bitch. She doesn't need to know. She's useless!"** the Hostile's voice tore through his mind, a feral snarl.

Levi clenched his hands on the armrests in a death grip, his knuckles turning white. It wouldn't hide the fact that his body was shaking. He was shaking from the corruption of rage that oozed through his mind: the rage that radiated off the Hostile.

**"Why bother with her? She's done nothing. She's better off dead! That would mean no one else would pry, would try to know each and every one of your secrets. It pisses me off, how you tell her every Goddamn thing. Can't you keep a damn fact to yourself?"**

His head spun and everything wavered. He could feel the pain in his head building, slowly clenching with a vise-like grip. He could feel a pressure pushing against his consciousness. _Not real, not real. Ignore it just ignore it. He'll go away soon. He has to._ The shaking wracked his entire body.

**"Oh no, I'm not going away, you little shit. I've been waiting for a chance like this."**

_Shut up shut up shut up shut up!_ "The Talker… the Creator…" his voice was weak, shaking. It made him wince. "And…" Levi's voice trailed off, refusing to cooperate. His head was pounding, felt fuzzy. Thoughts came disjointed and vague, smashing together. Fingertips dug into his head as he leaned forwards, struggling to draw in breath. "And…" Everything, not just his thoughts, was vague. He couldn't quite feel his limbs. There was pressure in his mind. He tried to push it back down, but when he pushed one part back, another part struck on the opposite side. It was overwhelming.

"Levi… are you alright?"

_Stupid question, stupid, stupid, stupid question._

He felt himself be pulled into the back of his mind, something, someone, else pushing forwards. It was like a dream. It wasn't real. He watched things from afar. He wasn't a part of it, not quite. Levi felt his lips – his mouth – move on their own. Not on their own: moved by another. "Shut up!" His voice came out as a snarl, furious and lethal.

He watched, felt, his body jerk upwards. The chair fell backwards with a clatter. Silver eyes glared at Hanji, a hatred that was not his own, a hatred that belonged to the Hostile. "Just shut the hell up, you fucking nuisance!"

To Hanji's credit, she stayed stoic and unflinching under the assault, her brown eyes studying Levi. "Hello Hostile," she said, setting her pen and clipboard onto the table. "Are you going to allow this to be conducted in a calm, orderly fashion, or not?"

Her mouth moved slowly, her words were sluggish. Everything had a faint haze around it. Or maybe that was just the depersonalization. He couldn't tell. Even his thoughts were sluggish, no longer carrying any significance.

"Bitch," Hostile spat at her, his eyes burning with fury. One foot slammed onto the tabletop as Levi – Hostile – lurched forwards, his hands outstretched. **"I'll kill her!"** That broke through the dream-like haze that filled Levi's mind.

_No!_

His body froze mid-stride, one foot barely touching the ground, the other planted on the table. Hanji stared up at him, her eyes a little wider than normal.

"Are you alright now? Do I need to get something to calm you down?" Levi shook his head, set his chair upright once more, and sat back down. He felt sick. He felt disoriented. He felt numb still as he wrestled for total control over his mind. His heart was pounding, fear, adrenaline, and the remnants of anger coursing through his veins. The window was looking very appealing now when it came to getting out of the room.

"Maybe…" he muttered, digging his fingers into his knees. He took a deep breath and shoved the Hostile identity down a bit further. "He… he hasn't been out in days. I… I don't know why he's back. Why he did that."

Hanji reached over, hand outstretched, to pat Levi's leg. He shied away from the contact, jerking his leg away from Hanji's hand, even though she had stopped the unconscious movement before her hand had come near. The flinch was unconscious, a reflex from the past, and the reason behind all the problems that plagued him now.

"I think he's afraid," Hanji said after a moment, her voice quiet. Levi glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. What could that identity possibly be afraid of? "Remember the elements that created the Hostile: anger towards your mother for constantly beating you, terror because of the man who raped you, and the need for secrecy. Those things can't – won't – happen anymore.

"You're not with your parents anymore. That man is dead. You're sharing your secrets. That identity is getting weaker. It was only a matter of time before the Hostile tried to do something. It might just be another personality state within your mind, but each state still has its own trains, personality, thinking, responding, and even personal history. While this might not be a permanent improvement, it's certainly good progress."

Hanji beamed at him, her brown eyes glittering with something that might have been pride. "You're getting there Levi, you're getting there. Slowly but surely, you're getting there. Now, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

**Day 3: End**

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As I stated in the beginning, this chapter was all about Disassociate Identity Disorder (DID), previously referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder. I'd say go to the following link, but that's not exactly working. There are sites out there though, if you want to know.

I can only hope that I wrote this disorder as close to the real thing as possible, as I suffer from neither the disorder, nor any of the symptoms that accompany it. When the identities were speaking, I changed the style of the text so that you could tell which personality was 'speaking' and when. However, when the Hostile identity speaks audibly, I used normal text since it wasn't a thought, unlike the rest. The title of the chapter is a song by My Chemical Romance.

**calleyrose:** For you maybe . I find lots of things embarrassing. Like existing. Like what, the murders? Wait. Don't answer that. Xie xie~


	4. Scars

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 4: Scars**

* * *

Irvin stepped out of the carriage first, the metal and wooden frame jostling as his weight disappeared. Levi stepped out next, moving slowly, his leg hindering his movements and sending flares of pain shooting through his body depending on what movements he made. _Formal dress my ass. This shit is more like clothing built for torture. I should be in uniform, not in a fucking suit. _His feet touched the dusty cobblestone road beneath his feet. Another bolt of pain raced up his leg when his foot hit the ground harder than he intended.

Everything was dyed in an orange-red hue from the sunset. Levi glanced up at the sky, towards the setting sun. The sky was full of pale white clouds, thick columns of dark gray smoke, and blood-red at the edge of the horizon: the color of the blood of the people dying out there, right now.

He could hear and feel the heavy thud of footsteps pounding into the earth as the Female Titan – Annie Leonhart – stormed through the streets of Stohess. The shouts and confused murmurs of the Military Police were all around. They were panicking, unsure of what to do in such a situation. _What a bunch of idiots. They're useless, all of them. They might as well be cannon fodder. Or better yet, bait for the Titans._

Everywhere he looked, MPs stood about, staring off in the direction of the thundering footsteps, their jaws slack and their eyes wide with fear. Most of them, no, more like all of them had chosen the Military Police for one reason: to escape the Titans. Now there was a Titan here, in their home, in the plush, luxurious confines of Sina, the last place a Titan could ever be.

"Nile!" the brown-haired man turned around at Irvin's call, looking agitated and vaguely confused. _When is that idiot not confused?_ Levi knew he was being cruel, that his thoughts were bitter because he couldn't take part of the capture of the Female Titan, but that didn't make the thoughts any less truthful that they were. He turned to glare at the carriage, not in the mood to have to look at the idiot soldiers of the Military Police, or anyone or thing else for that matter.

"Deploy all of your troops," Irvin commanded with a level voice. Level because he knew every detail of the plan, level because he was confident in their success. "We should assume that a Titan has appeared."

Nile's face transformed into a mask of disbelief within an instant, unable to comprehend Irvin's words. If Levi tried to think about it from his perspective, it was understandable. However, thinking from the perspective of a man like Nile was absolutely revolting. Levi would rather be dead, chewed to bits by a Titan, than think like Nile, like the MPs, like the gluts of Sina. "Wh-what? This is Wall Sina… there's no way a Titan could be here!"

_I'm surrounded by idiots… Did he really think the Titans would never come past Trost?_ The sound of a carriage door opening behind them drew their eyes. Levi twisted around to see when was going on, although he had a vague idea. A tall man with brown hair leapt out of the carriage, his green cloak thrown over his forearm. It was 'Eren.'

'Eren' moved to storm away. "Wait! Don't move, Jaeger!" The soldier by the carriage grabbed 'Eren' by the shoulders, forcing him to stop.

"I'm done with this disguise!" 'Eren' shouted as he brought a hand up to his head and tore at his hair. It came away easily, revealing ash-blonde hair with a darker undercut: Jean. The MP holding Jean jerked back, startled and confused, a typical MP response. They never expected such things, which made it easier than it rightfully should have been to pull off a deception like this. Levi still had to give Jean credit for holding in and staying under the false identity for as long as he had.

"Never call me by that name again, moron!" Jean yelled over his shoulder as he jogged over to Irvin and Levi. The teen stopped in front of Irvin. "Commander, I'm going too." His eyes were hard, his jaw set. He wouldn't back down, not from this. It was doubtful that even Irvin could convince him to do otherwise.

The thud of heavy footsteps was starting to grow distant. They had to act quickly, before the Female Titan was too far to reach and be successfully captured. Irvin nodded, "Get your equipment from Squad 4."

"Roger!" Jean said. He pulled his cloak over his shoulders in one smooth motion, already preparing to sprint off.

_These are the kinds of people that we need fighting in this war, not those useless pigs from the Military Police._ "It's good to see that someone has the balls to go," Levi said, his hard silver eyes holding Jean in place for a few moments. "But don't forget to do you damnedest to stay alive." After all, it would have been quite the loss to lose someone as willing and dedicated as Jean appeared to be, now that he had seen just what the Scouting Legion, hell, what their entire war was about.

Jean squared his shoulders and nodded, "Yes, sir." With that, he turned and sprinted away, the green cloak catching the wind behind him, sending the Wings of Freedom rippling. For a moment, Levi thought there was something hovering beside Jean as he ran, a faint haze that almost seemed to have features, like that of a smiling young man. Levi blinked and the haze disappeared. _It's just my imagination._

Nearby, Nile turned and watched Jean sprint past, gawking in indignation and confusion. Beads of nervous sweat dotted his face; his lank, dark brown hair clung to his neck. He turned back to look at Irvin and Levi, anger slowly creeping over his face. "Irvin, what is this?" He opened his mouth, prepared to continue, but a voice stopped him.

"Commander, here!" A member of the Scouting Legion landed with a thump and small cloud of dirt, a box cradled in his arms. The unknown soldier rushed over to the Scouting Legion Commander and passed the box along. Irvin nodded in thanks and set the box on the ground before he opened it.

Levi peered in, wondering what Irvin was up to now. 3-D Maneuvering Gear sat within the box. Levi had the feeling that it wasn't for him to wear, not this time. _Damn you, Irvin…_

"Good work," Irvin told the soldier as he pulled parts of the gear out. It didn't take long for Irvin to pull on the gear, his movements quick with practice. Nile gawked at him the whole time, anger and disbelief splashed clearly across his face. Irvin pulled the last piece of gear into place, light dancing off the polished metal. Levi felt more than a slight urge to strangle Irvin. _I should be gearing up to. Damn…_

"Hey, Irvin!" The blonde turned to look at Nile as he sheathed one of the blades, his expression one of vague distaste. "Anyone who can move, follow me! We'll rendezvous with the capture teams." Levi seethed behind him, tapping his elbow with agitation. That was a jab at him, he just knew it. Or perhaps an indirect order for him to stay put as the currently useless cripple, unable to move properly because of that damnable leg.

The soldier who had brought the box shot up into the air with a burst of steam. More soldiers joined him in the air, making their way towards the general direction of the Female Titan. "Irvin, wait." Nile pulled his gun from his back clutched it in front of his body as he stepped into Irvin's path.

_What is that idiot going to do, shoot him? And yet he somehow made it into the top ten of his class._

Nile brought his gun up, the barrel pointed straight at Irvin's chest. Five other guns came up from men that had formed what could be considered a semicircle, about twenty paces away from Irvin and Nile. Nile, however, stood within feet of Irvin. If he decided to pull the trigger from this range, it was doubtful that Irvin would make it out alive.

If Nile thought that death was a good intimidation factor, he was wrong. To the hardened veterans of the Survey Corps, death was an everyday thing. The only way of death that could scare them anymore was being massacred by the Titans. No other death could be quite so terrifying, quite so brutal, than one at the hands of a Titan. Holding a gun to Irvin did about as much good as wet wood when a person wanted a fire: none at all.

The guns clicked as the men removed their safeties, leveling the barrels at Irvin. "What you're doing is clearly treason against the crown!" Nile's voice rose to a shout, full of fury and shock.

Silver eyes flashed with impatience and Levi turned his head so that he could look completely at Nile. "Nile, I'm starting to wonder if your brains don't even live up to that sorry excuse of a beard. Seems to me that you don't even have a clue about what's going on." His words came out cold, harsh. Perhaps that would break through the barrier of luxury-induced idiocy that had wrapped itself around their minds, Nile's in particular.

Nile ignored him, although his hand tightened on the barrel of his gun. "Remove your equipment, Irvin!" The blonde man stared at Nile. Even though his back was to Levi, the black-haired man knew what expression was likely on Irvin's face.

One of cold anger and determination of titanic proportions, perhaps with some thinly veiled contempt beneath it all. Irvin did not respond. Silence hung heavy between the two groups of men, leaving the wind, the thud of footsteps, and the far-off screams of panicked civilians to fill their ears.

That was before the world seemed to tear itself in two. Brilliant light, gold and red, filled the sky as lightning slammed down into the earth, right within the heart of Stohess. Thunder, or something similar, roared through the air, lasting five, ten, fifteen seconds. The wind whipped around them, screaming as it tore through the streets of Stohess, away from the sudden burst of lightning. It pushed the thick columns of smoke around, sending some of the officers into coughing fits.

Nile whipped around, gazing in open-mouthed shock at the lightning, "Now what?!" Just when it seemed that the onslaught of lightning would never end, it gave one last burst of energy before it broke apart and dispersed. The sky, the world, lost that gold-red glow, returning to the pre-dusk state it had been mere moments before.

The heavy thud of footsteps had ceased at some point during the lightning strike. It started up again, this time closer, heavier: Eren's footsteps. Levi heard the steps quicker, pounding into the earth, drawing further and further away. Seconds after the footsteps began, the sound of rocks smashing together, glass shattering, and a building collapsing reached his ears. _So that brat finally decided to transform… good._

More MPs gathered around them, their guns raised, the barrels trained on Levi and Irvin's chests. Nile turned back to look at them, his eyes wide. _Idiot. _Two soldiers from the Military Police ran up beside Nile. Their faces lacked the general expression of panic, fear, and confusion that seemed to be trending with the MPs at the moment.

One of them, a short man with light brown hair, spoke quietly to Nile. His words were barely audible to Levi, not that he cared. He knew what the man was saying. He caught snippets of the conversation, frantic mutterings that only served to confirm his suspicions that Eren had transformed. "Sir… Titans… fighting each other…"

"Titans fighting each other?" the incredulous tone of Nile's voice brought thoughts of strangling the man to Levi's mind. The barrel of Nile's gun dropped slightly as he asked them.

The man with black hair nodded, "There are many casualties, both civilian and military."

It took Nile a moment to comprehend what they were saying and another moment to whip back around; the gun came back up till the barrel was level with Irvin's chest. _How many times is he going to do this?_ "Irvin! Is all this due to your plan?!"

"That's correct." There was no hesitation in his answer, no empathy. Just a flat voice that, to any other person, would come across as uncaring, especially towards the human lives he was sacrificing. Levi knew Irvin cared about those deaths. He also knew that Irvin believed that a person sometimes had to sacrifice their humanity just to gain the upper hand.

The ground shook beneath them as rubble slammed into the ground in the distance. The screams of the people were faint, but a person could still hear the terror, the panic, in their voices. Smoke and dust flew into the air. That made it easy to track Eren and Annie's progress through the city. "All of this was my personal decision. I don't intend to make excuses."

The barrel of Nile's gun shook, his face contorting with angered shock. They stood there for a few moments. Standing there, listening only to the wind, the screams of the people, and the crash of buildings as they collapsed and were torn apart. Nile grimaced and slung his gun over his shoulder before he strode forwards. His hands clenched the cloth by Irvin's shoulders as he grabbed the man and pushed him back a few feet, shaking him slightly.

Levi watched, waiting to see what a man of such questionable intellect might say next. "You must have known what would happen," Nile snarled, his voice bitter and venomous, "If you executed a plan like this in the city!" His voice, while it never rose above a muted shout, confined within a meter or two of them, was full of contempt and venomous rage. "How? How could you do this?!"

A cloud passed in front of the sun, making everything just a little darker than before. Irvin stayed silent for a moment. Levi waited for his response, wondering exactly what the commander would say, how he would respond. "To lead humanity to victory."

"Bullshit!" Nile's shout echoed throughout the street, rising so that all nearby could hear it. He shoved himself away from Irvin, tore the gun from his back, and pointed the barrel at Irvin once more, all within seconds. _Really? Again with the gun? Can't we just feed him to a Titan already?_ It was amazing how infuriating Nile could be.

Nile shook with range, his eyes narrowed and his face grim. "You're a traitor! I could execute you right here and now and none of the brass would even care!"

"That's fine by me. But then you must assume command." Silver eyes flickered back and forth between Irvin and Nile, judging the latter's reactions. Nile jerked backwards, startled. Nile's gun dropped slightly, as did the guns of the men behind him. Nile stared at Irvin, confused, unsure of what the blonde man was doing. Levi remained silent. It would be best if Irvin explained.

"You must not let the Female Titan escape. Paehl's in charge of formation. Vlyer oversees supply. Work with them to drive her to the east wall at all costs."

Nile pulled a hand away from his gun, waving it in protest. "W-wait… wait! Are you…" His hand returned to his gun, although he didn't seem like he was going to shoot now. "Are you telling me that this will help humanity?" He meant the Stohess: how it burned; how it crumbled beneath the onslaught of the Female Titan; how she and Eren rampaged through the city, one trying to escape, the other trying to kill.

"I believe it is a step forward."

Nile's eyes narrowed. His brown clenched. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He lowered his gun until the barrel was directed at the ground and not Irvin's chest. "Lower your guns, all of you!" His voice echoed down the street, clear and strong.

"Hands off him!" Not that there were any hands on either of them, but Levi could only hope to assume that Nile meant in a figurative sense. Otherwise, the man had fewer brain cells than his scraggly-ass 'beard.' The MPs surrounding Irvin and Levi looked incredulous, but they cooperated all the same, the barrels of the guns falling to face the ground, guns going back around their chests. "Handcuff him!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Deploy all of our men." Levi straightened up at that, silver eyes flashing. He cursed his leg again, cursed it for holding him back, for keeping him from joining the fight. "Your priority is civilian rescue and evacuation."

"Yes, sir!" The MPs darted off as they moved to carry out Nile's orders.

Two officers stepped in and clamped the handcuffs around Irvin's wrists. The blonde man complied without a fuss. Nile refocused on Irvin. Blue and silver eyes stared at him, waiting for the next words to leave his lips. "Irvin, a trial will decide your punishment."

"Once this is over, I'll submit to one with pleasure." Irvin was calm, stoic. Both of them knew that if it came down to it, arrest meant little so long as they saved Stohess, so long as they captured the Leonhart girl. Levi turned around finally and started to walk, heading in the direction that the Military Police soldiers had gone. The movement failed to escape Irvin's attention. "Levi, you stay put. You dislike pointless deaths."

A jab at how, with his injured leg, he was more likely to get mauled, killed even, if he joined the fight. It would have made for a pointless death. "Yeah, you're right." That didn't mean he didn't want to join. Every instinct screamed for him to jump into the fight, to grab his gear and slay the creatures infesting the world. Unfortunately, Irvin was right.

"I despise it, whether it is mine or my causing someone else's." Like how he had indirectly had a hand in the deaths of his squad mates. There was no taking away that guilt, that choice. He simply had to live with it now.

Irvin nodded. Nile gestured for Irvin to follow, leaving no more time to talk. Levi watched Irvin, Nile, and the two soldiers go. He was angry, to say the least, bitter than he couldn't join, and furious that his leg hindered him. Levi clutched at the fabric of his pants, barely resisting the urge to dig his nails into his leg.

It throbbed with pain, even now. The painkillers, the one Hanji had practically forced down his throat, weren't worth shit, but they were better than nothing. For him, it still seemed like a luxury when he compared it to the things he'd used when in the underground city.

Levi's hand curled into a fist. An irritated sigh tore past his lips and he looked up at the darkening sky, still a light blue above his head. Something touched him, a hand on his shoulder. It was faint but he jerked around anyways. There was no one there. Another hand touched his other shoulder, but this time, it stayed. Levi turned to the other side: still nothing. Ghostly fingers covered his hand, the one on his leg.

_"Corporal…_"

The word was faint, barely audible, a mere whisper on the wind. But it was familiar. A whisper from four familiar voices. The pain in his leg began to fade, till it was little more than a dull ache in the bone. He stood straighter and glanced around. There was no one standing near him. Levi raised an eyebrow but started to walk, making straight for his 3D Maneuvering Gear.

As he walked, he could have sworn he saw four figures walking beside him, each with one black and one white wing on their backs, smiles on their faces. Flashes of orange, yellow, brown, and gray drew his eyes, but the flashes of color disappeared when he looked at them. As soon as he blinked, they disappeared. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone, that there were others standing by his side. Others that would never leave him in death as they had been forced to in life.

**Day 4: End**

* * *

Couldn't think of anything else. Couldn't even pick a scene tbh. Finally settled for a mixture of episodes 24 and 25. I hope you like the references to Marco and the Squad Levi ghosties. Got an idea from that off a Tumblr post. Good night guys. Too tired for anything else. Song is "Scars" by Papa Roach. Goodnight guys~

**calleyrose: Definitely. Whoops, my bad. I like how they smell . Haha thanks~ I will, I will. It took me a few minutes to remember what you were talking about to be honest ^^**


	5. Angel With A Shotgun

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 5: Angel With A Shotgun**

**Little bit of violence. Some blood. Some stabbing. Okay, more than some, but still.**

* * *

Thug, criminal, ruffian, hooligan, vandal, hoodlum, gangster, bruiser, hardman, goon, enforcer, hired gun: call him whatever you like, Levi tended to fit the description. He was violent. He had next to no respect for authority. He had dabbled in drugs and alcohol more than once. He had put one man in a coma. When most people thought of him, it was rare that they didn't associate one of those words with him. Whispers followed him.

"I'm amazed he hasn't killed anyone yet."  
"I've heard that he keeps a huge stash of drugs in his basement. Crack, weed, LSD, you name it, he's got it."  
"I heard that he's killed three people. Got jumped at bar by four guys. He killed three of them and put the fourth in a coma. I hear that guy is flat on his back, brain dead. Been that way for a year!"  
"He's the spawn of Satan himself."  
"He kicks babies for fun."  
"What a freak, what a monster."  
"You see that man with the black hair? Don't do anything to piss him off."  
"Don't cross his path if you want to live."

The rumors had been blown so out of proportion that Levi couldn't believe people actually believed some of them. Then again, it wasn't like anyone knew what he did behind the scenes. They could only see what he did in public. Admittedly, one guy was in a coma, and he had beaten the other three unconscious, but everything else was false.

He hadn't murdered anyone. He didn't keep alcohol and drugs in his house. He didn't kick babies for fun. People typically didn't do that when they had a ten-year old living with them.

Levi opened the door to his home, the same one he shared with a kid who could sometimes be a total nuisance. It was dark inside, aside from the faint glow of the emergency light over the sink in the kitchen, visible from the front door. Weak light came in through the curtains, allowing a general idea of shapes and features to be visible in light from the rising sun.

He glanced around before he shut the door. There was no one outside aside from a few entering their apartments. Lights were starting to turn on and the streetlights dotting the walkways blazed with light that glittered off the snow. Even if they weren't located in the slums, one could never be too careful.

All it took was one lucky drive-by, one lucky bullet, and he'd be dead. Then they would either flee or come in for the fabled treasures he kept. Then they would find Eren. The street was clear. He was just being paranoid, although that was for a good reason. That paranoia was the very thing that had kept him alive for so long, especially when his reputation has somehow taken off, gotten out of control.

Pale fingers slid along the wall until they brushed over a light switch and pulled it up. Lights flickered on, struggling to stay alive for a few moments, but they managed to come to life and stay like that. _I really should stop buying cheap-ass lights. These lights fucking suck. Even candles would be better than this shit._

"Eren?" he called quietly, eyes flickering around the apartment as he walked further in, his hand straying to the gun his waistband, the warm metal pressed up against the skin of his back. He'd never had to actually shoot anyone while inside his home, but precautions were always nice.

"In my room!" a voice rang out, quiet but cheerful. A sort of small smile crept onto Levi's face and he walked back to the second bedroom. He made a slight detour before he went into Eren's room, stopping in his own to set the gun on his dresser and shrug his coat off before he walked into Eren's. There was no need to make Eren think anything bad was going on.

Levi pushed Eren's door open, light falling into the dark hallway. Eren stared up at him from the floor, a broad smile on his face. Emerald eyes sparkled with happiness. The book in Eren's lap was shut with the slap of pages and set on the floor so that Eren could leap up and throw his arms around Levi's waist.

"Welcome home, Levi!" The words were muffled, spoken into Levi's lower abdomen, but still audible nevertheless. Eren pulled back, a frown crossing his face and his brow furrowing. "You're late."

Levi shrugged nonchalantly, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I got held up at work. Pixis wanted me to wipe down tables." Work that consisted of surprisingly legal things: working in a club. Admittedly, they did have strippers, but the club wasn't as bad as most. At least they managed to keep the strippers clean of everything but STDs, but that was their choice, taking money in exchange for whoring themselves out.

"Were you up all night?" Eren nodded and finally released Levi. It was a good thing that it was the summer otherwise Eren would never have made it through the day. The kid tended to keep odd hours in the summer. Hours that matched Levi's work schedule, which made things more convenient.

Silver eyes flicked up and inspected the room. Books had been shoved into shelves somewhat haphazardly, but at least they were neat for the most part. The bed was neatly made, thankfully, and there was nothing on the floor aside from a stack of books and a Gameboy, which was closed at the moment. "At least you managed to straighten your room up a bit. It could still use improvement."

Eren stuck his tongue out at Levi. "I got bored… Cleaning is so dull! I don't understand your obsession with it at all!"

Levi ruffled Eren's hair and shook his head. "Live on the streets for a few years and you'll understand. Now, unless you don't want me to make breakfast before I go to bed, I advise you at least straighten that bookshelf."

Eren's eyes widened, both in excitement and determination. "I'm on it!" The boy spun around and marched over to the bookshelf so he could start pulling books and games out so he could rearrange them.

Levi gave a small, amused smile, and turned back to the hallway. He turned the lights on when he reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, scanning for various ingredients. Working at the club wasn't the only thing in his life that people found surprising, especially if they knew him well enough to have learned of Eren's existence.

The few that had – Pixis, Irvin, Hanji, Mike, and Ilse – hadn't quite expected him to have such a soft spot for kids. They were even more surprised when they found out Eren wasn't the first stray he had taken in over the years, although the Eren was the only one who had stayed so long. Even Isabel had stayed less than a year.

Eren, on the other hand, had simply shown up on his front porch almost five years ago. Levi still found it surprising that he hadn't taken Eren to an orphanage the same morning he found him.

Perhaps it was pity for the kid, shaking from the cold. Perhaps it was hope that the kid would have a better life than him, better than the life all the nearby orphanages could offer. Perhaps it had just been loneliness that had knocked down the walls Levi had built up, just enough to let the kid in, even though he was so young, just past his sixth birthday. Eren still hadn't told Levi what had happened to his parents, only that they were dead and he had nowhere else to go, that he had happened to pick Levi's doorstep, too tired to keep walking.

Levi set a pan on the stove and turned it on, the little gas flame flickering to life beneath the pan. He pulled a bowl down and cracked a couple of eggs. The scrape of the fork against the bowl filled the silence of the kitchen. He could hear thumps from Eren's room as the boy shifted books around, occasionally cursing quietly when he couldn't find a place for a particular book.

_Perhaps I should start watching my language around him. I'm pretty sure ten-year olds shouldn't curse like sailors._ Levi dumped the contents of the bowl into the pan. The bowl was set in the sink with a clunk and a clatter and Levi ran his fingers through pitch-colored hair, feeling his energy slowly seeping away. He couldn't wait to lie down and sleep.

He washed his hands quickly before he turned back to the stove and grabbed one of the packages he had tossed onto it. Deft fingers tossed a small handful of cheese into the pan before they went to work on shredding some meat to toss in along with it.

The sky outside slowly started to brighten, first into a weak gray light, then into the soft yellowish glow of mornings. People started to move out on the streets, shutting the doors to their houses, slipping into their cars, hailing cabs, and walking down the sidewalk to their destinations, kicking up snow on their way.

Levi flipped the omelet over as Eren charged out into the kitchen, a grin on his face. "I'm done!" The chestnut-haired boy slid over to Levi. "You gonna eat with me?"

Levi shrugged, not committing to anything. "I might have a bite or two before I go to bed. There were a lot of customers last night and Petra called in with a sudden stomach bug five minutes before opening. Zoe managed to get there, but that was about an hour into the shift because of the snow and traffic, even though she was the closest. I really hate the last-minute Christmas rush."

Eren nodded in understanding and moved about the kitchen, pulling out a plate, two forks, and a cup. The milk cartoon hit the counter with a soft thump. "Hey Levi… do you have any money I can borrow? I promise I'll pay you back."

Levi turned to glance at Eren, one black eyebrow raised, a questioning look in his eyes. "Why?"

"Christmas present for someone."

The black-haired man shrugged and grabbed the plate Eren had set on the counter. "Sure. As long as it's just for a present, not to pay someone off or some shit like that." He slid the omelet from the pan and onto the plate and passed it to Eren. The click of dials and the clatter of the pan being set in the sink filled the gap between Levi's answer and Eren's reply.

"I'm not paying anyone off. I just wanted to get someone a Christmas present." The boy sat down and looked at Levi with wide, innocent eyes. "I promise."

Levi shrugged, "I believe you. How much will you need?"

"Twenty." Eren cut the omelet in half and pushed one of the halves to Levi, passing him one of the forks along with it.

"Sure. You don't have to pay me back though. I don't mind."

"Thanks!" The emerald-eyed boy grinned and attacked his half of the omelet, much to Levi's amusement.

The silver-eyed man ate half of his portion before pushing it back to Eren. "Finish it. I'm going to sleep. Try not to knock the house down while I'm asleep." Eren nodded in understanding, his mouth too full to speak. Levi ruffled the kid's hair again and walked out of the kitchen. Back to his room, dark and quiet. Back to his bed, comfortable and warm. Back to sleep plagued with the shadows of his past, the demons of his present, and the figures of his future.

* * *

Hands – small, slender, and child-like – slammed into his shoulder, jerking Levi from sleep instantly. Silver eyes flew open and his hand shot under the pillow not occupied by his head, searching for his gun. It wasn't there. "Levi, Levi! There's someone in the apartment!" Eren's voice was a hushed whisper, terrified and frantic.

Levi's nose flared. "Eren, go hide in the bathroom and call the cops. I'll try and hold him off or something." Eren nodded and slipped from Levi's side, snatching the phone as he ducked into Levi's bathroom.

The black-haired man stood, his feet touching the floor silently. He could hear it now, the soft thump of footsteps and the quiet rattle of things being knocked around. The sounds were barely audible, but they were evident to someone who listened. They were evident to someone who was always on his toes, always ready for the next attack.

Levi crept over to his dresser and slowly pulled out one of the drawers. He had to pull it slowly so it didn't produce an obvious screech, but he managed to get it out all the same. Clothes were tossed to the side as he rummaged about, searching for his knife. His fingers wrapped around the cool hilt, bringing with it a sense of relief. A weapon, he had a weapon now. A way to keep Eren safe until the cops arrived.

Levi crept over to the door and slowly pulled it open. Everything was dark, one of the rare times he managed to get a night off and sleep at hours considered normal for most people. All the lights were out, leaving only the streetlights to illuminate the interior through half-open curtains.

A shape moved through the apartment, large in build and heavy in frame. Light fell across the man's arm, across what was gripped in his hand: a gun, the barrel gleaming in the light. Levi's fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife and he slid back into the shadows of his room, waiting. His heart picked up its pace, sweet adrenaline already flowing through his veins, mixing with the worry for Eren and the anger at the man

The footsteps drew closer, slowly, steadily. They paused every now and then as the man checked each room he passed. Each pause brought with it a flash of light that lasted for a few seconds before it was extinguished once more. The lights drew closer. The man drew closer. Levi's grip loosened on the knife as it became an extension of his arm. He knew what he had to do.

The footsteps came closer, closer, closer, getting louder with each second. They stopped right in front of him and paused. Levi darted forwards, and shoved the knife into the man's chest. It slid in, easily, but not in a fatal spot, not if he had judged the man's height right when the figure had still been standing at the end of the hall. The man jerked and stumbled back, a hiss of pain leaving his lips.

A dry popping noise, a gunshot, went off, pounding into Levi's ears. Pain tore through his arm, the only not clutching the knife. Blood, slowly at first, started to pour down his arm, coating his fingers. The bullet must have gone all the way through. The scent of gunpowder filled the air. His ears rang, still filled with the harsh sound of the enclosed gunshot.

His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Levi tightened his grasp around the knife and lurched forwards. The knife descended once, twice, three times. The gun fell from the man's hand and there was a groan. Rough hands pushed him away and Levi stumbled back, head ringing with pain. Footsteps started up again, but they were slow and faltering.

That pushed Levi into action. He lurched forwards, arm hanging limp by his side, as he followed the man. The man made it five steps before Levi darted up behind him, dropped his shoulder, and rammed into him. It was enough to throw the large man off balance. He hit the floor with a heavy thud and Levi jumped him.

Fury and pain filled his head, blinding him to everything except the knife, rising and falling, tearing into the man's chest again and again and again. A hand smashed into his chest, his arm, his face, but Levi didn't stop, couldn't stop. He had something, someone, to protect, and a fist to his face wasn't going to deter him. Blood flew through the air, splattering onto his face, his clothes, and coating his hand. He didn't even notice that the man stopped moving, stopped fighting. There was only the knife and the ferocious need to protect Eren.

"Levi!" The voice pulled him to his senses and he froze with the blade halfway through an arc down towards the man's bloody chest. He couldn't see Eren, but he knew the boy was terrified.

He felt sick. Sick from the pain in his arm, sick from what he had just done, even though it was for a good reason. Levi stood slowly. "I'm good Eren, I'm good." His voice came out strangled, tight.

Lights flickered on above him and he heard Eren gasp behind him. "I called the cops. They'll be here soon. Is he… is he dead?" Levi nodded and glanced back at Eren. The boy's eyes were wide with fright, but when they met with his, the fright dissolved into worry. "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine until the EMS get here. Just… come on." He dropped the knife and waved his hand. Eren nodded and approached him, edging around the dead body. Neither of them looked down as they passed by. Levi dragged himself into the kitchen and sat down, head on the table, blood still dripping from his fingers.

The sound of things rattling around reached his ears, but he was too tired to lift his head, the adrenaline having fled his body once he had realized what he had done. Small, child-like hands pulled his sleeve away from the wound. Something touched his arm and it began to burn. Levi let out a hiss but left his arm there for Eren to clean and bandage. "Are you alright?" Levi murmured, looking at Eren out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm good," Eren whispered as he started to tie the bandage. "Why did you attack him?"

"To save you…" Levi muttered. "Woulda felt like shit if I hadn't. After all, you're living under my roof." Eren smiled and looped the bandage around again. It was almost like he had already forgotten about the dead man in the hallway. Then again, it wasn't like Levi knew what the kid had seen in the five or six years before showing up on his doorstep.

"We are so moving away from here," Levi muttered. Eren nodded in agreement as the faint wail of sirens reached their ears.

"I guess I should hold off on giving you your Christmas present," Eren muttered as he finished wrapping the bandage around Levi's arm.

Silver eyes rolled. "Only you would say something like that after seeing your caretaker stab a man to death, or at least the aftermath of it."

**Day 5: End**

* * *

Hooray for saving Eren and murder! Not quite as descriptive as usual, but oh well! Kinda ran out of time for that -_- Anyways, I'd better get cracking on that next prompt: it's gonna be a fun one! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day~ The song is "Angel With A Shotgun" by The Cab.

**calleyrose:** Haha I know~ I was irritated so I took it out on Nile. Don't really feel bad about it though. Yep~ Couldn't find anything else that would fit like I wanted it to.


	6. Christmas At Hogwarts

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 6: Christmas at Hogwarts**

* * *

Something rather large, heavy, and warm leapt onto Levi's bed, jerking him into consciousness. Before he was completely awake, his wand was already in his hand, the tip pointed straight at the forehead of the offender, even as he slowly sat up.

"Levi! Don't jinx Merlin!" A familiar voice, one that didn't quite register in his brain, still muddled with sleep. Levi ground the heel of his free hand into his eyes, trying and miserably failing to open them. It took a few moments, but he finally managed to pry his sleep-heavy eyes open widen enough to focus on the thing sitting in his lap.

Merlin, Zoe's cat, was sitting on him. Golden eyes stared up at his face while white whiskers twitched with what was doubtlessly amusement. The cat twist around to lick his thick, black, and glossy fur while still perched on Levi's lap.

In Levi's opinion, Merlin was like the cat from Hell, determined to bring him grief whenever possible. That included getting a running start before sliding through his carefully arranged papers, knocking his things off his desk, bed, and nightstand, occasionally stealing his wand, and waking him up in the morning in the rudest ways possible

Levi had even woken up once to find Merlin curled around his head with the cat's claws poking into his scalp. It was amazing he hadn't skinned the damn thing yet. Or that he hadn't gotten Noir, his barn owl, to pick on the obnoxious feline. Noir gave a soft hoot from the corner of the room, her unusually dark plumage blending in with the shadows in the corner.

Levi sighed and set his wand back on his nightstand. One quick jerk upwards of the bedspread dislodged the cat from his lap, leaving Levi free to get up. He threw himself back instead and pulled the covers up over his head. Encased in darkness and warmth, Levi closed his eyes once more and let his body relax. _Just a few more hours…_

Someone murmured something and the covers were torn off of him. Levi groaned in irritation. "Dammit… five more minute or I'll hex you."

"No _way_!" the voice was too excited too early in the morning. There was only one person who could sound so enthusiastic in the mornings: Zoe. "Come on, get up _get up_! It's time to get your lazy ass out of bed! It's Christmas!"

"Zoe… get the hell out of here," Levi muttered, pulling his pillow over his head and burying his face into the bed.

Zoe tore the pillow from his hands and threw it across the room. "Not a chance! Now get up or I'll jinx you. A Bat Boogey Hex sounds nice, doesn't it? Or perhaps you want a nice pair of antlers."

Levi pushed himself up in bed and rolled over the glare at Zoe. "You're a little bitch, you know that right?" Zoe smirked at him as she crossed her arms across her light yellow robe and tapped her foot impatiently.

There was an impatient meow behind her. Merlin was obviously ready. Perhaps he smelled the catnip. Perhaps Levi should have added some sedatives to the cat's food the night before. Or stuck him outside on the roof and waited to see how long it took for either Zoe to find the damn cat or for Merlin to work his way down. Both were quite appealing options.

"Fine, fine, I'm getting up. Just shut up already." Zoe grinned and waited for Levi to pull himself from his bed. "I hate you…" he muttered when he finally stood and ran his fingers through his hair, raking it into a somewhat presentable appearance.

"Love you too darling," Zoe said with a grin, her usual response to such comments from Levi, which came frequently in the mornings. "Now come on. Everyone is waiting." Her hand clamped down on his wrist and she dragged him behind her as she charged down the stairs towards the common room.

The chatter of voices, quiet but excited, reached him as they neared the common room. Apparently he was the last to wake. He managed to catch a glimpse of the world outside the windows as they shot past. Everything was blanketed in snow: the lake, the grounds, Hagrid's hut, and the roofs of the buildings below the tower. Zoe pulled him down the last flight of stairs, her pace swift. It was amazing she didn't jump off the balcony in her haste.

Someone, the elves probably, had set up a tree overnight, and it sat a few feet to the right of the fireplace. Gold and scarlet ornaments hung from almost every branch, with scarlet tinsel wrapped around the tree and a golden star at the top. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth, filling the room with warmth. All of the red couches and chairs nearby were filled with people, although there actually weren't many of them, not this year.

Irvin, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie were perched on the chairs, chattering amongst themselves. Levi's chest tightened with grief. There should have been six more of them here. Unfortunately, that was impossible.

"I finally woke him!" Zoe called as she tugged him down the stairs and into the common room. Greetings and smiles were flashed his way and Levi exchanged the pleasantries with them, taking a seat in a chair between the couch that Armin, Mikasa, and Eren perched on and the chair that Zoe took to his left. No one had opened their gifts. They had all been waiting on him.

_Idiots… they could have just opened them and let me sleep until noon. That would have been a wonderful gift._ He was more eager to crawl back into his bed than anything else, but the energy of the room was contagious, just enough to hold him in place. A chain formed, passing several boxes down the line towards Levi, and setting them in front of him.

Once the last was in place, Zoe clapped her hands. "Alright guys, let's do this!" The sound of tearing paper and calls of "thank you" and "I love it" and such filled the room.

Levi slowly and methodically worked his way through. There were two books, one of castles of France and another on Beauxbatons, both of which were from Armin. There was a broom care kit from Mikasa. Eren had haphazardly wrapped some CDs of various witch and warlock singers. Jean had found and stuffed nearly two dozen pieces of smoothly polished colored glass, which he said he had found when at some beach in New Zealand. Sasha had bought a small stuffed barn owl, nearly identical to Noir. Connie had settled for a couple of Muggle books to give. A box from Zoe held a soft sweater made of silvery wool or cotton. Irvin had bought him a wizard chess set.

They finished within minutes and they set about to crumpling the paper and throwing it all in a haphazard stack in the center of the room. Everyone, aside from Levi, darted upstairs to put their things away and change, eager to romp in the snow.

Levi trudged up the stairs slowly, still not completely awake. Coffee, at least two cups, would be required before he felt wide awake. Although, getting dressed and heading outside was better than lying down and having Zoe stick a fistful of snow under his shirt. She had ended up immobilized on the floor for an hour, but she still laughed at it.

Levi made it upstairs, snatched his clothes, and ducked into the bathrooms to change into black pants, a white shirt, and – somewhat reluctantly – into the sweater Zoe had given him. He snagged his wand and called Noir to him before he left, slowly heading downstairs.

The walk was quick. Few students had stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays, leaving the corridors clear aside from Peeves and the occasional ghost. Levi reached the bottom floor and stepped out into the courtyard, sinking into a thick layer of snow with a crunch as his foot broke the thin icy coating on top. Few people had been through here, although he could see at least eight pairs of footprints.

Noir flew off his arm as soon as he stepped outside, her wings spreading wide and her dark brown plumage standing out against the world of gray and white as she rose into the sky, silent and swift.

Zoe and Eren were already flinging snowballs through the air with flicks of their wands, with Mikasa drafted to help Eren while Jean had joined up with Zoe. Sasha and Connie sat on some benches that they had cleared of snow, sipping from a steaming canister, occasionally flicking their wands to throw their own chunks of snow. Levi watched as one of Zoe's snowballs shot straight over Eren's head and smashed into Armin's face, sending the cold, white fluff all over the blonde.

Levi shook his head and sat down on a bench near Connie and Sasha. He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. Only a few white, puffy clouds still lingered in the air, although it was likely that more snow would hit before the week was out. A slight breeze was blowing, pushing some of the snow around.

The world was peaceful. So different from how things had been in the spring, when the world had seemed like it would tear itself apart. Levi pushed the thoughts aside. He wasn't in the mood for thinking about such things. He didn't want such thoughts to infiltrate his mind, not today. He just wanted to stare at the sky and forget about everything.

Something white flew into his vision and hit his face, the cold, wet, and white mass exploding on contact. Laughter followed it. Levi jerked up, silver eyes flaring wide, as he dislodged the snow from his hair. "Dammit Hanji!" he yelled, whipping out his own wand as he prepared to launch his own counterattack. Despite the angry front he put up, he couldn't mask the amusement that curled in his stomach and tugged the corners of his mouth up.

* * *

After dinner in the Great Hall with whoever had stayed for the holidays, the nine companions gathered together for a friendly round of gambling and wizard chess. The two contestants: Irvin and Levi. Knight to F3," Irvin called, studying the chessboard, his blue eyes focused and unwavering.

The knight slowly slid forward on the board, the first move of the game. The ground was all clustered on the floor in the Gryffindor Common Room. Seven pairs of eyes were focused on the match between the two men, eager to see who would come out on top. The bets on who would win stood as such: Armin, Zoe, and Jean were betting on Irvin while Mikasa, Eren, Sasha, and Connie had their Galleons and Sickles on Levi.

"Pawn to B5," Levi murmured, watching as the pawn slid forwards. Levi had no strategy, not really. He was not a fan of chess, although wizard chess was another story. Watching the pieces move about and smash each other – which thankfully repaired themselves – was quite amusing in an almost sadistic sense. Irvin called out another move, pulling a pawn out into the field

Levi brought his knight to H6. The moves continued back and forth for several minutes, neither taking, neither losing. That was the case until Irvin set a pawn out, right in a place where Levi's knight could strike. "Knight to F5," Levi called with his poker face still in effect, although there was a vague sense of triumph.

The knight slid over to the pawn, raised its sword, and cut the pawn into two, small pieces of rubble flying from its little gray marble body. The remnants of the pawn slowly slid over to the edge of the board and fell onto the carpet, one by one, where they slowly began to reform.

"Queen to F5," Irvin said with a slow, deliberate voice. "Check." The queen slid forwards to the space in front of the knight and raised her sword. The white piece brought her sword to the knight in an unforgiving slice to its neck, knocking its head clean off. The black piece tumbled over and slid off the board to reassemble.

Levi's eye twitched with irritation. Commands between the two were passed back and forth as they directed their pieces across the board, but the onlookers quickly came to realize who was going to come out on top. Levi continued to steadily lose pieces after that, although he did take a few of Irvin's more vital pieces.

It worked out fine until Irvin managed to sneak a pawn past Levi's defenses and exchanged it for a queen. Irvin made quick work of Levi's remaining pieces, leaving him with a king trapped against the edge of the board, the queens about to close in on his king.

"Queen to H1," Irvin called out. The queen slid forwards down the board and came to a stop in the corner before turning to face the king. "Checkmate." Levi's king tore his crown from his head and threw it onto the board.

"Alright," Zoe said with a sly grin, "Hand it over. Silly children, now you know to never bet against Irvin in tactics! Levi might be good for winning battles, but Irvin is best for winning the war! Well, most of the time. Even Irvin has situations that are exceptions to that." Those who had bet on Levi's win reluctantly pushed their Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts over to Zoe, Armin, and Jean, much to their delight.

Once the pieces had been put away and the money had been divided and counted, Zoe looked at them all, her eyes glittering deviously. She had a plan, and usually, her plans tended to backfire, go horribly wrong. "I've got some of those fireworks from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Who wants to light em?"

* * *

Eren was the first to take one of the fireworks and hold up a trail of red sparks to the end, letting the bit of twine at the end catch. Everyone backed up a few paces in the courtyard and watched the firework in anticipation. The small flame shot its way up the slim coil of rope, approaching the end of the firework.

"Eren… which one did you pick?" Mikasa asked, her face masked in shadows as the sun slipped beyond the horizon, little more than a sliver.

"Eh… Dragon Fire I think."

The firework shot straight up into the air, a trail of flames following it as it raced through the sky, filled with the myriad colors of dusk as night descended upon them. Nine heads tilted back and watched as the firework shoot up into the sky, flying higher, higher, and higher until it seemed like it would never blow.

Light exploded in the sky: purples, pinks, reds, oranges, greens, and blues all mixing together. A massive boom, more of a roar really, filled the air as the lights coalesced into one giant light: a massive dragon, like the ones from Chinese myths, the ones without any wings. It tilted its orange head back and let out a roar that echoed all across the ground of Hogwarts, filling the air and vibrating in their chests.

"Woohoo!" the shriek came from Zoe, who hurriedly started tossing her friends more of the fireworks for them to light. Soon, the sky was filled with light.

Spinning wheels spun about, circling around the towers and casting their colorful glows across everything. Fire-breathing dragons twisted about, their great wings flapping and fire in the form of light pouring from their mouths. Little bursts of multi-colored light burst in the air and fell back to the earth, fizzling out as they descended. Armin sent a Crystal Incantation Comet hurtling up into the air. It exploded in a burst of jewel-colored light, ranging from sapphire blue to ruby red, from emerald green to amethyst purple.

"Come on Levi!" Hanji screamed at him over the sound of the exploding fireworks. Her face glowed with joy and the light from the fireworks and rockets. "Light it, light it!"

Levi allowed himself a small smile and held the tip of his wand to the rocket. It shot away within seconds of igniting, soaring up, up, up into the air. He wasn't even sure what kind it was. Silver eyes tracked it across the dark sky, lit now mostly by the brilliant and colorful light of the fireworks.

His firework exploded into an immeasurable number of colors that painted themselves across the near-night sky. It was like a rainbow had engulfed the sky around them, only the colors were more vibrant and stunningly beautiful. Levi grinned, just for a moment, as he looked up at the sky, the laughter of his friends surrounding him as they sent more fireworks hurtling up into the sky.

The staff that had remained at Hogwarts for the holidays was sure to berate them for the disturbance they were causing, but for a few minutes, none of that mattered. All that mattered was the laughter of his friends, who had tears streaming from their exhilarated faces, and the beauty of the sky above as rocket after rocket exploded in the sky, sending colored sparks through the air.

_Hogwarts is home for Christmas. I wouldn't have it any other way._

**Day 6: End**

* * *

... I had so many ideas for this one - all for Harry Potter related things - but they couldn't be done unless this was multi chap T.T Which I am sorely tempted to do now. But I have waaaay too much to write at the moment. Maybe later... So the song in the title was "Christmas At Hogwarts," the 12th song from the soundtrack. Although, I did mention another song: "Hogwarts Is Home For Christmas" by The Brothers Black. Have a wonderful day/night/existence whilst I go and do some last minute painting~

**calleyrose:** The prick? Haha I know~ No, not at all, and you felt right! Yeah, I think it did too. In a weird, violent, and lovely way. Haha soon, soon.


	7. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

**The Seven Sides of Levi**

**Day 7: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)**

* * *

A thick covering of snow covered the ground, several inches thick already and getting thicker by the minute. Thick, gray clouds hung heavy overhead, hiding the sky and the luminaries above. More snow swirled through the air, a thick fall that made seeing hard but not impossible. Thankfully, it was warm inside. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, the scent of burning wood in the air as the fire slowly ate away at the logs.

There was a pine tree situated in the corner of the living room, the aroma of its sap filling the room and mixing with the scent of hot coco, peppermint, and cinnamon. The lights on the tree – blue, green, and white – blinked merrily in alternating patterns in their circuit around the tree. A couple of gifts had been stuck under the tree – birthday presents for Levi. That was the amusing part about being born on Christmas: a holiday and a person's birthday quite literally wrapped into one.

Silver tinsel hung from above the windows and doorways. Connie had even jokingly tacked some mistletoe over the doors when Levi had his back turned. Music, quite but still audible, drifted through the room, a mixture of Christmas carols and peaceful instrumental songs.

Voices filled the living room, loud and somewhat obnoxious at times, but certainly welcome. After all, it was Christmas. Levi couldn't exactly kick people out of his house for being too loud, too irritating, or trying to start a conversation about microbiology time after time after time like Zoe was trying to do. Thankfully, all of her attempts to start such a conversation had been interrupted from a combination of smacks to the head and the careful turning of any conversation away from such a subject.

Levi sipped at his mug of hot chocolate from his position on the edge of the couch, watching his friends mingle, smiles on their faces. They were happy, drinking their hot chocolate or coffee and carefully nibbling on various treats. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and Petra were engaged in a game of Black Jack on the floor.

Irvin, Oluo, and Zoe were debating whether or not the weather would slack off any time soon. Erd, Gunther, Connie, and Sasha were talking loudly amongst themselves about mountain climbing. Despite the clamor, it was actually quite nice.

Levi sighed, content, and stirred his hot chocolate idly, watching the lump of whip cream bob around in the gray mug. With all the gift-giving and food-eating over, little was left aside from talking about anything and everything. At least everyone was sober this year. It did help that there were seven teenagers in the house, even though they were almost adults. It also helped that Levi was _not_ a fan of drunks.

Silver eyes flickered up from his mug and slid over to a window in the kitchen, the only one visible from his perch on the couch. The floodlight outside illuminated the snow as it fell down in thick, unwavering sheets. The snow was starting to conceal the features of the outside world, coating everything in a thick, white blanket.

Someone crossed in front of his field of vision and sat down on the couch next to him: Eren. The chestnut-haired boy glanced at Levi and pulled his knees into his chest. "Lovely weather we're having," he said with a grin.

Levi rolled his eyes and took a sip of the hot chocolate. It was starting to cool. He took another delicate sip. "Anything in particular you want?"

Eren shook his head, "Not really. I just got bored with Black Jack. Plus I lost all my chips and stuff." His grin took on a wry cast. "If I hadn't kept betting so much I might have won."

Levi smirked. "That's what happens when you play without strategy and thought. Losing is inevitable unless you think. That applies to everything, whether it's in a game or in real life. Try to remember that when you apply for a job, you freeloader."

"I am not a freeloader," Eren protested, sticking his tongue out. "I simply use the space that my parents provide until I get job I like!"Levi rolled his eyes and took another sip of his lukewarm hot chocolate.

"Levi, don't call people freeloaders," Zoe chided with a grin as she slid over, joining their conversation. "Now the ones you really should be calling freeloaders are those micro-"

"And moving on," Jean interrupted with a devilish smirk. Mikasa, Armin, and Petra all grinned in varying degrees. "So, how about those Red Sox?"

"I think they went undefeated this season," Armin chimed in, much to the apparent amusement of the others at his expense. The blonde flushed red. "What? I thought he was being serious!"

"Armin, I'm going to teach you all about sarcasm," Petra murmured, "Sarcasm and irony."

"What if I don't want to learn about sarcasm and irony?"

"Too bad," Erd called with a grin. "You might as well just stop while you're ahead kid, unless you want to try and dig your own grave of course."

"Dig all your graves outside," Levi growled. "I'd rather not have dead bodies under my flood boards."

"And you would rather have them in your yard?" Irvin asked, an eyebrow raised.

Zoe turned back towards Levi, her bright, brown eyes and glittering with amusement. "Hey Levi, you want to open your presents?"

Levi grimaced. That would only mean more paper to clean up. That was the worst part. No piece, no matter how small, failed to escape his silver eyes. Perhaps that was why most of the Christmas parties tended to be hosted at Zoe or Irvin's home. She shoved a small box wrapped in dark green wrapping paper into his lap before he could respond. "Open. Hey guys, Levi's gonna open his presents!"

Their conversations died away and Levi glared at Zoe. _Of course_ she would do something like that. It was just her style to make things more dramatic than they had to be. Like the trick candles that she had stuck into the birthday/Christmas cake they had cut into a few hours ago. Then there was the time where she thought it would have been entertaining to draw mustaches on Gunter, Erd, Oluo, and even Petra's face one night. It was likely that Levi still had pictures of that night floating around somewhere.

Levi sighed, set down his mug with a clunk, and started to pry the paper away from the box. It was a small box, one that rings or necklaces would have gone it. Levi painstakingly balled the paper up and set it down next to the couch before he opened the box. Inside there was a little necklace on a silver chain. Two interlocked wings, one white and one blue, made up the pendant that hung from the chain.

"Thank you," Levi murmured as he pulled it around his neck. He received only grins in response and another present shoved into his chest. The tag said it was from everyone. He repeated the process with the wrapping paper, revealing a large, rectangular book with a dark brown leather cover with some swirls in the corners. Levi opened it to the first page and looked at it. There were three pictures.

The one on the top was of a girl with shoulder-length red hair pulled into a fluffy ponytail. Her dark green-blue eyes stared out from the picture at Levi and there was a smirk on her face. Behind her there was a stone wall and the corner of a red tapestry edged in gold. She was wearing a tan jacket with a dark blue tank top and bluejeans.

The one below was of a man with short, ash-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. There was a slight curl to his lips, like he had just finished laughing at a joke. He stood in front of the same background, although a little more of the red and gold tapestry was visible. The man was wearing a bright red shirt, a black zip-up hoodie, and darkly colored bluejeans.

The two were in the third picture, but he was between them, the girl to his right in the picture, the man to his left. It had been taken on the same day, as the man and woman were wearing the same clothes. Both were very familiar.

They were two old friends of his: Isabel and Farlan. Isabel had been killed in a car crash a year and a half ago. Farlan had died of leukemia caught too late to help. Seeing the two of them brought a faint pang of sadness, as it always did, but Levi swallowed and continued to look.

His fingers brushed over the plastic covering of the pages as his silver eyes soaking in every detail. It had been a while since he had seen these pictures. He had almost forgotten about them. They had visited some castles in England about five years ago. The pictures had been taken in one of them, although Levi couldn't quite place which one.

He flipped through a few more pages. There were more pictures of Isabel and Farlan, but his other friends were also in there too. Eren and Armin staring intently at a book held between them. Mikasa knitting two scarves, one sky blue and one emerald green. A picture of Zoe and Irvin playing a game of chess, with Zoe's hand outstretched, her queen held delicately between her fingers.

There was a picture of Petra in her fencing gear, her helmet tucked under her arm and a broad grin plastered on her sweat-soaked face. Another picture had Oluo, Erd, and Gunther, and Petra wearing Santa hats and making strange faces at the camera. There were more pictures, dozens more.

Levi looked up, his silver eyes travelling across the room and meeting everyone else's eyes. "Thank you guys," he murmured, his voice coming out tighter than he meant for it to. "I love it." And he meant it, every single bit of it, even the parts they couldn't see.

"I knew it!" Petra crowed, a grin on her face. "I told you it was a good idea, Zoe!" Zoe stuck her tongue out at Petra but nodded in agreement anyways. That was when the power went out and they were plunged into what would have been darkness if it hadn't been for the fire.

"Dammit…" Connie muttered. "I'm guessing it's not safe to drive home tonight."

"At least Levi has food," Sasha exclaimed, her eyes wide but dark with the fire behind her. "We'll be fine!"

"Of course we will," Mikasa murmured. "It's just a power outage and some snow. It'll be gone by morning. Levi, do you mind if we stay the night?"

Levi rolled his eyes and tapped one of the laminated pages in the scrapbook. "No Mikasa, I'm so cold-hearted that I'd throw all of you out into the snow in a heartbeat." A small smile flickered onto his lips, revealing that he was kidding despite his flat voice.

"Alright," Zoe cried out with a grin on her face, "Slumber party at Levi's!"

Levi rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Despite outward appearances, he was pleased that they were staying. For one Christmas, for one birthday, he didn't mind not being alone, not this time. Not that they needed to know that of course.

**The End**

* * *

Finally. I'm done. After changing the prompt halfway through. I'm too tired to do anymore so sorry if it's not the best -_- Seriously, I'm about to keel over and sleep on the floor. Anyways, I would like to thank those of you who have read any, or all, of these. I hope you had a merry Christmas and have a wonderful existence! The song in this is "Happy Xmas (War Is over)" by John & Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir.

**calleyrose:** Oh, that prick. Haha excellent~ Glad you thought so~ Yeah... kinda changed that... maybe a future oneshot or multichap for that one...


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